A History of Magic
by dancinequestrian
Summary: Hermione and Draco are paired up to find traces of magic from the 1500s. What happens when they're sent back in time and find themselves in the court of King Henry VIII, amidst all the scandal and magic they didn't know existed? DMHG!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here's another fic I'm working on. It's going to have a lot of historical stuff in it, so some of you might find it a little long and tedious. But I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize.

Chapter 1:

"I really don't see what the point in this is," Draco Malfoy whined as the group of seventh years walked across the beautiful grounds of Whitehall Palace. "It's not like we're going to find anything! We've already been to so many!"

"Malfoy, if you've actually paid attention in class on these trips, you would have realized that we have already found evidence, just not information that is distinct and conclusive enough," Hermione Granger retorted. "If you ask me, the things that we found are amazing and quite fascinating."

"Well I didn't, Granger, so shut the hell up!" Malfoy snapped.

Hermione glared at him and walked faster, ahead of the group.

"OK class. You know what you are looking for: traces of magic from the times of King Henry VIII. All the places that we have been to so far are ones that haven't been used since King Henry." Professor Binns announced. "You will be split up into the following pairs:

"Parkinson, Weasley…"

"…Potter, Crabbe…"

"…Longbottom, Bulstrode…"

"…Granger, Malfoy…"

As Professor Binns continued reading off the pairs, Hermione and Draco sent each other death glares. "Malfoy, you better keep your mouth shut during this," Hermione whispered fiercely. "Aggravate me, and you will end up even less of a man than you already are."

"Done!" Malfoy replied, looking slightly frightened.

The two walked towards the palace, which Hogwarts students had been granted special access to, owing to the fact that Dumbledore now owned it.

Hermione and Draco walked into the castle in silence. They entered one of the more ornately decorated rooms. The wood paneling and doors were painted gold and the walls and the floors were covered with rich Persian tapestries, which gave the room a homey and slightly cozy feeling. As they walked through the room, their footsteps on the stone floor echoed.

"Incredible!" Hermione whispered. "Just incredible! Almost unbelievable."

"What are you going on about Granger?" Draco asked, annoyed and impatient, forgetting about his vow to not talk.

"It just seems almost impossible that we're standing a room where King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn once stood. Even Queen Elizabeth at one time. This was her favorite room."

"Anne Boleyn?" Draco questioned.

"Oh, come on Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed, exasperated. "How can you not know who Anne Boleyn was? Are you really that ignorant?" She continued on before he could answer. "She was the second wife of King Henry VIII, and she was supposed to be absolutely beautiful –"

" – Like you wish you were, Granger?" Malfoy interrupted.

"Watch it Malfoy," Hermione glared at him, her wand pointing dangerously low. She continued on with the story. "She was absolutely clever and cunning, smart, and the only one who could get the stubborn king to bend absolutely to her will; his desire for her was that great. She _was_ manipulative and really only interested in gaining power, which wasn't admirable, but she was strong, just like her predecessor, Katharine of Aragon. She was convicted falsely of treason and adultery just because she couldn't produce a male heir, which is completely chauvinistic, by the way."

Draco rolled his eyes at this.

"She was even accused of witchcraft – which was a horrible thing back then in the Muggle world, by the way- but I think there may have been a little bit of truth in that. She was sent to the Tower of London and awaited her death bravely. She was ready for her death, even though she knew she did nothing wrong. She peacefully succumbed to her fate," Hermione had a faraway look on her face.

"Ok then. Great. Moving on," Draco interrupted.

The two went on, searching the rooms that had once belonged to Anne Boleyn. Hermione walked to the privy chamber, and then into the private chamber, taking in the portraits and the ornate golden furnishings that adorned the rooms. She found a portrait of Anne Boleyn staring down at her. The frame had mysterious symbols that Hermione could not make out. "Malfoy!" Hermione called. "I think I found something!"

Malfoy came sauntering in at his own pace. "Took you long enough! Look at these symbols. I haven't seen anything like them before. I don't think they're Muggle symbols. There's something mysterious, almost eerie about them. They're too…weird." Hermione said.

"Weird, Granger? Is that the best you can come up with?" Draco looked at them closer. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think you're right. They seem like they've come from an ancient magical civilization." He pointed to one of the symbols. "That looks familiar though. I think I've seen this in one of the books at the manor. It means fertility or bewitched or something like that."

"Incredible," Hermione murmured. She absentmindedly stroked the symbols. "How I would have loved to meet the two of them."

"The two of whom?" Malfoy asked.

"Haven't you been paying attention Malfoy? Katharine of Aragon and Anne Boley- " Hermione was cut off as she felt a gust of wind hit her face. "What was that?" Hermione asked, scared.

"I don't know," Draco whimpered, cowering behind Hermione's back. "Wait- look!"

A hole in the floor had appeared, slowly enlarging and moving towards them. Hermione drew her wand, but couldn't do anything; she was frozen with fear.

"Do something Granger!" Malfoy yelled.

"I- I can't," Hermione whispered back.

Soon, the hole had grown large enough to take up half the room. The hole looked like a cyclone or a hurricane, ready to suck in whatever got in its way. The vortex-like hole slowly made its way towards Hermione and Draco, who were pressing up against the wall as much as they could. Soon however, they had nowhere to go. They tried to shield themselves, hoping the portal would pass them by, but soon, they found themselves falling into darkness.

A/N: There's the first chapter! I hope you like it! A couple of things: 1) I know some people don't really consider Anne Boleyn is beautiful, but go with it. And she's not really someone Hermione would admire, but oh well. 2) I know that Whitehall Palace burned down (parts of it) but it is in fine condition in this story. Lol. And the story might not be totally historically accurate- (just a couple of small things). Please Read and Review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey Everyone! Thanks to all who reviewed!

Chapter 2:

As Hermione opened her eyes, she felt a pounding in her head. She slowly took in her surroundings and was surprised to find that she was in a room similar to the one she and Draco had been exploring, yet less luxurious. She got out of bed so that she could find Draco and talk to him about what had just happened - whether what they had experienced was real or just a dream. She caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror and gasped at what she saw. Her hair was down, thick, elegant, and more luxurious than it had ever been before and she was wearing a dress made of brown velvet. She realized she was wearing a corset because of her inability to breathe and the way her bosom was being emphasized.

"Oh good, dear. You're up!" An elderly woman came into the room. "You gave us quite a fright."

"I'm sorry, who –," Hermione said.

"Now come dear, the doctor said you must stay in bed for the day. We don't want another fainting spell, especially seeing as you are in the service of the Queen."

"The Queen?" Hermione asked, breathless.

"Yes, dear. Queen Katharine was very worried about you." The woman said.

"Queen Katharine?" Hermione repeated.

"My, my, dear! What happened to you Lady Elizabeth? You are the Queen's favorite lady-in-waiting."

"Yes, yes, of course. I just think I need a little more rest. I should be better after that." The elderly lady patted her head.

"Margaret, you are needed in here," a distant voice called.

"Yes, yes! I shall be there in a moment!" Margaret turned to Hermione. "I hope you feel better soon, my dear. Your husband will be by to see you in a bit."

"M-M-My h-husband?" Hermione stuttered.

Margaret had already left the room. Hermione, overwhelmed by the information Margaret had given her, drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

DMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHG

Loud knocks on the door woke Hermione from her slumber. The guards outside the door announced, "Sir Nicholas Carew!"

Hermione looked up to see none other than Draco Malfoy walking into the room.

"Ah, my dear! How are you feeling today? I was very worried about you." Malfoy said grandly, putting up a façade.

"I am feeling much better, my darling. If you could just come closer for a moment." Hermione replied cheerily.

Once he got to her bedside, she pulled him down by his collar. "What the _hell_ is going on Malfoy? Where are we? What the hell are we doing here?" Hermione whispered fiercely.

"We are at Whitehall Palace in the court of King Henry VIII. You are Queen Katharine of Aragon's lady-in-waiting and I am one of the king's closest friends. You are to call me by the name Nicholas, and you are my wife, Lady Elizabeth Carew. Is that clear?" Malfoy asked.

"Your _wife_?" Hermione asked confused. "How the hell…? Never mind. What about magic?" She whispered this last part.

"That, I will tell you later in a more secret place. Do not attempt anything until I talk to you about it." Malfoy emphasized.

Hermione nodded. "I can't believe we are actually in the court of King Henry VIII!" She momentarily got excited. "How did you find out all of this anyway?"

"I have my ways," Draco smirked.

Hermione scowled at him.

"I must go. The king is expecting me shortly to discuss some important matters. I guess I'll come check on you later… or something." He gave her a kiss on the forehead for effect but quickly wiped his mouth as he left the room.

The next morning, Hermione was woken up by Margaret. "Come on dear! You're late! You must get dressed quickly!" The scene was one of hustle and bustle - all the ladies-in-waiting were scurrying to get dressed in order to serve their queen.

Soon enough, they were all waiting to be received by Queen Katharine. They each gave a deep curtsy and stepped aside to carry out their tasks.

"Lady Carew," Queen Katharine addressed Hermione.

"Your Majesty," Hermione stepped forward and curtsied.

"I heard you have been ill recently. I hope you are doing well now," Queen Katharine said in her thick Spanish accent.

"Yes, Your Highness, I am well now. Thank You." Hermione replied with her head still bowed down.

"I am glad. I was very worried, you know," the queen said.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Lady Margaret told me. I thank you for your concern." Hermione curtsied once more and stepped aside.

The guards at the doors suddenly blew their trumpets. "His Majesty, the king, and Sir Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk!" They announced as they opened the doors. The auburn-haired, handsome, young king entered the room first, followed by a tall, dark-haired man. All of the servants and ladies-in-waiting and Queen Katharine curtsied as the king entered the room.

"Ladies," the king nodded to them as he walked by them to get to the queen, while discreetly looking each of them over. "My Lady," he said and kissed her hand, once he reached his wife.

"I have been wanting to have a little bit of fun." King Henry said grandly, looking around the room. "So, we will be holding a masquerade ball tonight, to satisfy my need for…entertainment. Charles and I," he gestured to the dark-haired man that was with him, "thought we would make things a little more interesting, and hold a little contest. We will be masked as well, and will be mingling with the rest of you. Whoever impresses us the most with their costume or their _enigmatic_ qualities will be… awarded greatly." King Henry said, his eyes lingering on Hermione's face. After what seemed like an eternity, the king's eyes moved to the next lady. "All of you are dismissed for now. I would like to talk to my wife privately."

As soon as the doors closed, the ladies started to chatter about the ball. It would be the chance for the unmarried ones to show off and be noticed by powerful friends of the king, and a chance for the rest to have some fun.

Hermione started walking back to her room. Just as she was rounding a corner, an arm reached out and grabbed her. The arm then quickly covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming.

"Shh! Keep quiet. People will hear us!" Hermione turned around to be met with the sight of Malfoy, or her supposed "husband" Nicholas. He had pulled her into some vacant chambers. He brought his lips down to hers, his hands wrapped around her waist. She slowly sank into, thoroughly enjoying it before realizing what she was doing, and pulling away.

Hermione smacked him on the shoulder. "What the hell do you think you are doing Malfoy?" she asked him, apparently outraged.

"Tut, tut, Granger. Or should I say Elizabeth? Is that the way to talk to your husband? And you must get used to calling me Nicholas in order to keep up pretenses. And anyways… I just wanted to have a quick shag. The king said it used to be a daily routine until we started fighting a little, or something, I don't know. You know, the king is really a lot like me. Great man to talk to," Draco said, getting side-tracked.

"Well I am not shagging you, **Nicholas**," Hermione said, emphasizing his name, "especially not here and now! I would rather die than shag you."

"You _would_ die if you did," Malfoy smirked.

Hermione, realizing what he was implying, smacked him over and over again. "You insufferable, stupid, egotistical, half-witted imbecile."

"Ouch! Granger! Knock it off!" Draco said, glaring at Hermione.

"Serves you right," Hermione said. "Anyway, we have to start getting ready for the ball. Don't you ever have any work to do? Or are you just a playmate for the king?" With that, she walked away, looking back to see Draco's expression, which had turned into one of indignance.

DMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHG

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our masquerade ball!" Draco announced. "The king and His Grace, Charles Brandon are among those of you that are masked. As you know, there will be contests, etcetera, etcetera," he said dismissively.

"And," he continued, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Maybe we'll see who catches His Highness's fancy tonight." Draco chuckled, but abruptly stopped once he caught the Queen's pointed glare. "Uh, I meant His Grace, Sir Brandon's fancy," He chuckled nervously. "Let the dancing begin!" Draco moved to the dance floor himself.

Each of the dancers bowed to each other and the men kissed the women's hands.

"My lady," Hermione's partner said to her as the music began.

"My lord," she replied.

"You do look exquisite tonight, my lady."

"Thank you, my lord."

"You are an excellent dancer."

"As are you."

"Are you married, my lady?"

"Er -," It was time to switch partners before Hermione could answer. Soon, the dance ended and each person ended up with his or her original partner.

"I would like to dance with you one more time before the night ends, my lady." The man bowed and kissed her hand before he left, never breaking eye contact.

Hermione blushed lightly as he walked away. She decided to sit down and have a drink before she started dancing again. On her way, she caught sight of a man flirting with another woman she recognized to be a lady-in-waiting. She could recognize Draco's smirk anywhere.

"Darling, is that you?" Hermione said sweetly, walking to where they were standing.

"Elizabeth? Hello! What are you doing here?" Malfoy asked nervously.

"Oh my dear husband, I am here to dance and have fun, of course! If you could just excuse us for a moment," Hermione said to the lady-in-waiting Malfoy had been flirting with.

"Dance with me. Now!" Hermione ordered. As they were dancing, she asked, "What the hell was that, **Nicholas**?"

"What?" Draco asked innocently.

"Don't play innocent with me, you bastard," Hermione said fiercely, yet still smiling to keep up appearances. "The flirting. You were ready to get that whore into bed."

"It was just innocent little flirting, **Lizzy**. Don't worry your pretty little head about it." Draco replied easily.

"Innocent, little flirting was it? I will not stand for it, you filthy piece of sh-,"

"Do NOT talk to me that way, ever." Draco said angrily, grabbing her wrist and stopping the two dancing. "I am your husband in this society, and have total control over you. I am a pureblood in our society in the future and I still have power over you. Do NOT forget to whom you are speaking! I will do what I want, whenever I want." With that, Draco walked away, leaving Hermione standing alone in the middle of the dance floor.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the last dance of the evening. After this dance, everyone will be unmasked. Find a partner everyone!"

"My lady," someone said as he tapped Hermione on the shoulder. It was the first person she had danced with that night.

Hermione blushed and curtsied. "My lord. You found me."

"Well, I couldn't go back on my promise to dance with you one more time, now could I?" He replied.

"Why are you paying so much attention to me, my lord?"

"I think you are mysterious and intriguing. Beautiful, yet clever and smart."

"But you have not seen my face and you do not really know who I am."

"I have my suspicions." He replied simply. "And we shall see shortly if I am right."

The music had stopped. "Ladies and gentlemen. It is now time for you to reveal yourselves. Take off your masks!"

Hermione delicately took off her mask. "I was right," her partner said, before reaching up to take off his own mask.

Hermione gasped and curtsied. "Your Majesty!"

A/N: There's the second chapter! Please read and review! I was pretty happy with it. A couple of things: 1) Just in case it wasn't clear, Margaret it the elderly lady who is supposed to be like a motherly figure to Hermione. 2) When Draco and Hermione kissed- Draco was just playing around with her. They are nowhere close to falling in love- just in case some thought it was too soon. Also, there will be mentions of sex in this story, especially considering the court they're in, but not too much. It will never get graphic. Also, for those of you who didn't get why Hermione started slapping Draco after he made a comment, think about what "dying" means in Shakespearean terms, even though he came a little bit after King Henry. If you don't know, I'll tell you.

Please, Please, Please Read and Review! Thanks a lot!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Chapter 3:

The next day, Hermione and the other ladies-in-waiting walked out into one of the lush gardens. The Queen was dealing with some important matters with the king, so the ladies had decided to go for a stroll.

"Elizabeth," one of the ladies-in-waiting named Jane said with a sly smile on her face. "Was that you dancing with the king last night?"

Hermione blushed and looked down. The other ladies giggled.

"We'll take that as a yes. The king seemed to be very enamored with you." Jane said. The rest of the ladies were listening with great interest.

"Ladies, I am married. I have a husband. I took an oath before God." Hermione reminded them. _Well, I guess that doesn't really apply to Malfoy and me, since we're from the twenty-first century_, Hermione thought silently.

"Oh, hush, Elizabeth. So what? The king has taken a fancy to you and he usually gets what he wants, other than a son of course - so far. And think about what being his mistress can do for you and for your husband's wealth and status," one of the other ladies said.

Hermione shook her head. "Should we really be talking about the king in this way?" She raised her eyebrows. "Either way, I will not do anything to put myself in a compromising position."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Oh, Elizabeth. Such a good girl you are." She said, almost condescendingly. "That's not going to get you anywhere in this court."

"I have a husband of respectable position, and I don't need anything else."

"So you say _now_, Elizabeth. But, here comes His Majesty now. We shall see what happens." Jane said with a smirk on her face.

Henry was indeed walking towards the women. They all curtsied and greeted him with a small murmur of "Your Majesty."

Henry nodded his head. "Ladies, you may go back to the Queen. We have finished our business. But my Lady Elizabeth, I would like to speak with you about something rather important." He waited until the women were out of sight until he began to talk.

"I have a confession to make." He said with a smile on his face.

"And what might that be, Your Majesty?" Hermione asked politely.

"What I wanted to talk to you about really wasn't all that important."

"Oh? Then what was it, Your Majesty?"

"Well, it has to do with something a little more…pleasurable. You see-," Henry was cut off by someone walking towards them. It was Malfoy.

"Your Majesty! How are you doing this fine day?" Draco asked, offering Hermione his arm and sticking out his other hand for the king to shake.

"I'm very well, thank you Nicholas. And you?" the king asked politely.

"Very well. I see you've met my wife."

"Your wife? Yes. I have," He replied, his eyes lingering on her face. "Well, it was a pleasure speaking with you, but I must go…attend to some business."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Oh, sire, I actually came to tell you that Charles Brandon was looking for you." Draco said.

"Thank you, old chap. I shall go find him now." With that, the king made eye contact with Hermione, kissed her hand, and walked off.

Hermione blushed, but kept her face hidden from Draco. "I must be getting back to the queen. She must be wondering what is delaying me."

Hermione pulled away from Draco and tried to walk off, but he stopped her.

"We need to talk. Tonight, meet me out here in the gardens after the queen has gone to bed."

Hermione nodded and ran up to the palace.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

Due to her ill health at present, Queen Katharine had decided to take a nap in the afternoon, leaving her ladies-in-waiting with nothing to do as they waited outside of her private chambers. A messenger arrived at the door, delivering a note for Hermione.

The other ladies were extremely curious; they wanted to know everything about it. Hoping to avoid stirring up any gossip about herself, Hermione told them it was from her husband before even opening the letter.

Even still, this caused a flurry of whispers as the ladies started gossiping about the king and other courtiers.

"Did you hear about the last woman that he bedded? She was one of those very friendly types, if you get my meaning," one of the ladies around her whispered to the others about the king.

"I know, I heard. How did someone like that catch his attention? He can do so much better." another lady said.

Hermione walked over to a quiet corner and opened the letter. It was from the king, asking her to meet him in his apartments later that night, when everyone was asleep. Hermione had to admit she was sort of flattered that the king was taking a fancy to her, but she really didn't want to become his mistress. She could hear the other ladies-in-waiting gossiping about the disgrace that had come to the king's previous mistresses, and even in a society and in a time that was not her own, she didn't think she could deal with that. Even if Malfoy didn't care for her, becoming the king's mistress would be a blow to his pride and he would find some way to make her life even more miserable when they got back to their own time.

Hermione hid the letter in her dress and went back to the rest of the ladies-in-waiting, who decided to stop gossiping and start playing a game of chess. Hermione watched quietly, fearing what the king most likely wanted. She tried to shake the thoughts from her head.

DMHGDMHG

Night fell quickly and the queen was still feeling ill. She called in two of her ladies-in-waiting to stay with her for a little while, and dismissed the rest of them. Hermione hurried from the room, in search of Draco. She needed to tell him that their meeting needed to be postponed, but he was nowhere to be found. She returned to her room and lay in bed, anxiously awaiting her meeting with the king.

An hour or so later, a guard came to fetch Hermione. She was dressed in her nightgown, and silently followed him to the king's extravagant chambers. She knocked on the door hesitantly.

"Enter," the king said.

The guard opened the doors and announced, "Lady Elizabeth Carew, Your Majesty."

King Henry was sitting in an armchair by a fire, only in a robe. He had a goblet in his hand, which glittered from the light of the fire. The fire was the only thing lighting the room.

The doors closed. "Your Majesty," Hermione curtsied, as she stood near the door, hesitant to get any closer to the king.

"Why are you standing so close to the door?" Henry asked with an amused smile on his face. "Come closer."

Hermione took a few steps forward until she was standing a short distance away from the king. Henry stood up and took her hand, and kissed it without breaking eye contact. Hermione blushed and looked away.

The king placed kisses along her arm, trailing his mouth up to her shoulder and then her neck as he came to stand behind her. Hermione gasped in pleasure as he bit down on her shoulder and turned her around. His arms wound around her waist, and he kissed her on the lips hungrily.

A few minutes later, Hermione put a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away.

"Your Majesty, I am sorry, but I do not think that I can go through with this."

"What?" Henry asked angrily. "You seemed just fine with it a few minutes ago."

Hermione curtsied and kept her head down. "With all due respect, sire, I don't think this is such a good idea. I am in the service of your wife. What would happen to me after everyone else finds out about this? What would happen to my husband?"

"I see," Henry said, his eyes focused on something other than Hermione's face. "You want something more? More lands for your husband? A bigger title, perhaps?"

"No, Your Majesty. I just want you to know that as much as I would like to… help you with your needs, my conscience isn't letting me go through with this."

"I see," Henry repeated again, his eyes narrowing. "You are very brave to stand up to me like this. Under normal circumstances, such impertinence would not go unpunished. But you are lucky that I am in a happy mood – I have just received news that the queen might be pregnant. I have the utmost respect for you and your husband, and you have both served me well. Do not expect this generosity from me again. You may return to your quarters." With that, King Henry walked into an adjoining room, leaving Hermione alone.

Hermione walked out into the hallway, and suddenly remembered that she had to meet with Draco out in the gardens. She ran outside, hoping that he hadn't left already.

From afar, she could see a figure walking around the pond that was in the middle of the garden. She approached him cautiously. "Malfoy?"

He looked up. His face was etched with anger and something that seemed like worry. "Where the hell were you? I've been waiting for almost an hour. I'm sure the queen didn't go to bed this late, especially since she's been ill."

"Malfoy, I'm sorry. It wasn't my fault. The king wanted to see me."

"The king? At this time of night? What, are you to become his mistress now?" He spat, not looking at Hermione. "Maybe I should warn the king what type of filth he's inviting into his bed."

"Unbelievable." Hermione said angrily, throwing up her hands. "Do you honestly believe that I would do such a thing? Even if it is you that I'm married to, I would never break an oath to stoop to such a level as to become someone's mistress. How dare you assume such a thing!

"Why do you care anyway, Malfoy? This is a fake marriage."

"What? I don't care! How dare _you_ assume such a thing! Maybe you should have gone for it Granger, it may be the only chance you'll get."

"If I recall correctly, you wanted to shag me yesterday." Hermione said with a smirk on her face.

Draco blushed. "No, I was just joking around. You really need to figure out what the difference between joking and seriousness is, Granger. Why would I want to touch a filthy thing like you?"

"Ok, we are getting nowhere with this," Hermione said, exasperated. "Let's just forget about it. Ultimately, I did not sleep with the king and you do not care even if I did. Now let's move on. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Draco looked around and made sure there was no one eavesdropping. "Magic," He whispered. This piqued Hermione's curiosity.

"Wandless magic is the only form of magic that we can use in this time. Magic is somewhat weaker now than if we were to use it in the future, whether it be wandless or even with our wands. But then again, it depends on those that are attempting to use it. Potions and draughts will also be difficult to make. There are so many different herbs and ingredients that we have seen very rarely at school, that we must learn the properties of each and every one of them. I do have some experience with these ancient herbs. I don't know how long we'll be in this time, so we need to master this as quickly as possible, especially if we want to find a way to get out of here.

"The wandless magic takes a lot of strength and energy. Once you are done with your services to the queen everyday, we will retire to our castle that isn't too far from here. It was a gift from the king, and there we can practice our magic in privacy. You are not to breathe a word of this to anyone, is that understood?"

Hermione nodded. "How did you find this out?"

"When the time is right, I shall tell you. But right now, this is all I'm going to say. Magic is a sin in these times, as I'm sure you know. Without even thinking about it, you can unleash your magic in ways unimaginable. Once that happens, everything will be in utter chaos. You will be sentenced to death if they suspect you're a witch. Keep in mind that you must not change the past. There may be things that no one will miss in the future, but things that are cited in the history books cannot be changed. Be absolutely careful."

"I will." Hermione said, taking in all this information.

"That is all for now. We start our training tomorrow. Meet me in the courtyard after finishing your duties." With that, Draco walked off, leaving Hermione in the garden, who was contemplating everything he had just said. Her mind was racing with questions she had for him. She shook them away and ran up to the palace, hoping no one suspected any suspicious activity.

A/N: There it is! I hope you liked! Please Review! I'll try to update again in a couple of days, but after that, I'll only be able to update like once a week!

Happy New Year to everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

It was late evening and Hermione was waiting in the courtyard, breathless from running. The ladies-in-waiting, in their typical fashion, kept probing Hermione with questions about where she was going. They refused to accept her simple answer: that she was going home with her husband.

Hermione sat down and waited for Draco, taking in her surroundings. In her idleness, she remembered something that could potentially be either a minute detail, or could screw up everything. She began to fidget restlessly as she waited for Draco to show up. _I don't think I've ever felt so eager to see the twitchy little ferret,_ Hermione thought, rolling her eyes.

Finally, she saw a figure approaching and jumped up eagerly.

"Excited to see me, Granger?" Malfoy smirked.

"Oh, Malfoy, please. We both know I'm not your type… You seek for the other team."

This effectively shut him up.

Hermione smirked. "I do need to speak to you about something though."

"Wait until we get to the manor. We can talk openly there," he whispered, making sure no one else was around.

Hermione simply nodded. They both walked outside the palace gates, where a carriage was waiting for them. They rode to the manor in relative silence.

"We will have someone meeting us there later tonight. He is a friend from court and has offered to help us with our… problems. He will explain everything to you himself eventually, but for the time being, we will focus on herbs." He said quietly.

As soon as they arrived, Draco jumped out of the carriage, and in a rare display of chivalry, gave Hermione a hand. They dismissed the driver and walked into the manor where the maids were bustling with their work. Draco led her to a pair of double doors that were located at the back of the manor, and ensured that none of the servants would even approach the room until their expected guest arrived.

"How do you know you can trust this…friend?" Hermione asked as Draco shut all the windows and locked the doors. Now, only some candles and whatever light could pass through the shades lit the room.

"Let's just say for now that I am a very good judge of character."

Hermione scoffed. "Fine, I'll take your word for it until I meet him myself." She walked around the room, gazing at and admiring the paintings that were hung on the walls.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Draco asked, watching her.

"Oh, yes. Before I start telling you this, you have to promise me that you won't get mad at me." Hermione said hesitantly.

"Just get on with it, Granger." Draco rolled his eyes.

"Ok, well, before you and I talked last night, you know that I was with the king."

Draco's face was blank. "Go on."

"Well, he obviously wanted me to sleep with him and be his mistress, but I said no."

"So?"

"So, I shouldn't have done that. Anne Boleyn is supposed to be the first one to have ever said no to the king. What if someone finds out? It could definitely change the future."

"Well, it's not that big of a deal, is it? Really, what's going to happen if someone finds out you said no to the king?"

"Well, it just takes away from the fact that Anne was the only one who was ever really able to say 'no' to the king and could get away with it." She emphasized.

Draco raised his eyebrows, but really couldn't have cared less. But something came to Hermione.

"Wait a minute, though. There was always speculation about whether or not Elizabeth Carew was the king's mistress. Although they don't debate it much like they do for other matters about Anne Boleyn, they still don't know whether she, I mean I, was a mistress. There's a possibility that Anne Boleyn was not the first to tell the king 'no'. This is brilliant! Now we can only hope that the guards keep their mouth shut."

"How do you know all of this stuff? Even about a couple of very minor people at court?"

Hermione shrugged. "If I read something, I can't forget it. I won't let myself forget it, even if it is the smallest detail."

"Well, now that that's settled, let's get started." Draco said.

Hermione sat down and listened intently.

"I was able to collect a few of these herbs, but for the most part we will have to try and identify them by a book." Draco lectured, putting a book in front of her with drawings of the various herbs. "You need to memorize all of their uses.

"Acacia is used to burn for offerings at an altar. It also aids in psychic powers, meditation and protection. Another very important one is the Adam and Eve Root, which is used for marriage, love, commitment, and harmony. Agaric is used for fertility. Alfalfa may also be used for fertility, but it can also be used for control of estrogen levels, lessen post-birthing problems, and help prosperity-"

"Once again, how is it that you know all of this, even though we've been here the same amount of time?"

"I've had study in this at home, Granger. I've been exposed to it before.

"Everyone at court may use these herbs to elevate or gain something for themselves. The good thing is that we do not have to be secretive and too cautious about using these herbs. But the way that we use them is different story. We may need to recite spells while using them, although the spells are not necessarily Latin incantations. They're more of those rhyming poem sorts." Draco said.

Hermione nodded in comprehension. Suddenly, there was a knocking on the door. "Master Carew, a Sir John Whiting." A maid said.

Draco opened the door and let a tall, handsome gentleman in, dismissing the maid.

"John," Draco said, nodding his head and shaking his hand.

"Nicholas… and Lady Elizabeth, how do you do," John said, walking over to kiss her hand.

Hermione curtsied. "Very well, thank you. And yourself?"

"Splendid," Sir John smiled at her.

Draco cleared his throat. "So, shall we get started?"

"Yes, yes, of course." Sir John took of his coat and set it on a chair. "Let's start with the basics, shall we? First off-,"

Hermione cut him off. "I'm sorry, Sir Whiting, but I have a couple of questions."

"Go on."

"First of all, how do you know about magic?"

John smiled. "Yes, well, I should have expected this. You are Hermione Granger, after all."

Hermione's eyes widened. "How did you…?" She turned to Draco. "How did he…?"

Draco shook his head and John just stood there, amused.

"How did I know that you were Hermione Granger?" John finished off for her.

Hermione nodded, still completely shocked.

"Well, let's just say that I've been expecting you and Mr. Malfoy."

"But I still don't understand. Do you mean that you're a seer?"

"You could say that. You will, my dear, understand it more fully in good time. Now, let's get to work, shall we?"

Hermione closed her mouth shut, finding herself starting to trust this man. His presence and demeanor made it very hard not to.

"Now, you know by now that wandless magic is the key in this time period. I will now put a spell on this room to make sure that none of the maids can hear what is going on in here." Sir John closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He slowly brought both his arms up and seemed to be concentrating deeply.

Hermione and Draco felt a cool breeze brush over them, even though the windows and doors were completely closed. Sir John opened his eyes. "We are ready to begin."

"First off, as you are learning, you will have to recite spells. Not Latin words but that ridiculous rhyming: both impromptu spells and set incantations. Using the spells varies with the experience of the person in question. Those that have had much practice, like myself, can use non-verbal spells , just like you would do if you had a wand and were a sixth-year student or above. Mastering non-verbal spells is going to be your goal while you are here because you have certain tasks ahead of you. Practicing witchcraft in this time is considered a sin and you know what the punishment is: burning at the stake." John said.

"For now, while we are practicing here, we will start with verbal spells. Seeing the aptitudes of a witch and wizard like you, Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy, I expect mastery of them in a very short time. Any questions so far?"

Both Malfoy and Hermione shook their heads.

"Good," John said. "Let us begin! My lady, if you would please come here."

Hermione stood up and cautiously made her way over.

"Give me your hands," John instructed. She placed both on top of his, palm to palm.

"Close your eyes and focus on something you consider to be magical, not just in the practical sense, but in a metaphorical way: maybe a sunset or a relationship that you may have with someone. Think about it carefully, deeply, genuinely. This will bring out the good in the magic you do, which is extremely important. Half-hearted magic can cause severe consequences, and could possibly even kill a person."

Hermione had the perfect thing to focus on. "I have it." She told Sir John.

John took out a dagger from his belt and slit the palm of his hand. "I want you to close your eyes and think about your magical memory. Once you have that, I want you to try and come up with a spell and try and stop the bleeding of my hand. Remember, focus on your memory and what you want to achieve."

Hermione took a deep breath. Once her memory was basically engraved in her brain, she tried to come up with a spell. "Red rivers flow…from thine hand…Let this flood be contained within. And, heal this wound of those who fall. Help us greatly, hear our call." She opened her eyes and saw the wound in Sir John's hands slowly starting to disappear.

"I did it!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, you did. Now, even though you may be able to come up with impromptu spells, there are still some things that have spells that are set in stone, and it is important to know them. I will teach you those in good time. For now, you should study your herbs while I work with Draco."

DMHGDMHGDMHG

Later that night, Hermione and Draco returned to the palace with Sir John. The two men had a scheduled meeting with the king. As they left her alone in one of the corridors, Hermione walked at a very leisurely pace and started thinking. She missed Harry and Ron and Ginny. She wanted to be in class right now, listening to the professors drone on about their subjects and be able to yell at Harry and Ron for not paying attention.

She sighed. Slowly opening the door, she hesitantly let herself in, where all of the ladies-in-waiting were chatting away, gossiping or playing chess. She walked to her bed and ignored all the curious looks that they were throwing her way. Hermione changed into her nightgown and quickly got into bed, but stopped when she saw a beautiful woman sitting on a bed that was close to hers. The woman had olive-colored skin, thick dark brown - almost black hair, and dark eyes that also appeared almost black.

"Margaret," Hermione said.

"Yes, dear?"

"Who is that woman sitting on that bed over there?" Hermione asked, not taking her eyes off of the woman.

"Haven't you met her before? That, my dear, is Lady Anne Boleyn."

A/N: I hope you liked it! Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to get out! But here it is… Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Draco or Hermione who are both creations of J.K. Rowling, or Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, as they were real people. I don't own the spell that Hermione recites, either. Only the plot.

Chapter 5:

The following night, another masquerade was held. This time, King Henry and Queen Katharine stayed at the banquet table, overseeing their subjects as they danced the night away. Hermione knew that this would be a historic night, so she kept her eyes and ears completely alert and aware of her surroundings.

As Hermione was dancing, her eyes kept wandering to Anne Boleyn, whose hair and eyes were very noticeable, even among the many people on the floor and with the mask on her face. She was currently dancing with one of the king's friends and had an untamed and playful spirit, with a demure yet saucy and teasing attitude. Fluttering her eyelashes prettily, she gained much attention from the males in attendance, especially with the mysterious aura that seemed to surround her.

Hermione could tell that the king was infatuated also. He was sitting slightly slouched in his chair, watching her, with one elbow propped up on the arm of the chair, rubbing his chin. He wasn't paying the slightest attention to Queen Katharine, who herself was watching Anne very closely.

After the dance ended, King Henry stood up. The whole room fell silent, anticipating what his next action may be. He walked down onto the dance floor and signaled for the musicians to start playing again, at the same time offering Anne his hand. She curtsied and took it, exchanging a meaningful look with another one of the ladies-in-waiting. As she danced, Anne held eye contact with the king the whole time, indicating her confidence in her beauty and her enigmatic qualities.

Hermione sat off to the side, watching the King and Anne. She could just barely hear the things they were saying to each other. She cast a spell to help her hear their conversation more clearly.

"You look beautiful tonight, my lady."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Anne said with an almost smug smile on her face.

They were pretty much silent throughout the rest of the dance. As the music ended, King Henry pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "I need you. Come to my chambers, tonight-"

Anne stepped away. "My liege, with all due respect, I know I am not good enough to be your Queen, but I am far too good to be your mistress."

The king, at first offended, saw the teasing smirk on her face. "I _will_ have you." He growled into her ear and walked away.

Anne still had the smirk in place as he did so, and she knew that he would go to many lengths to have her.

Hermione, in the corner, was curious to know what Anne and the king were thinking. She needed to befriend Anne, but she wasn't sure as to how she was going to accomplish this. She kept her eyes focused on a candle that was in front of her, so as to not draw attention to herself by staring at someone else. Suddenly, it came to her.

Making sure that there was no one near her to hear what she was saying, she quickly recited a spell. "As flame lights shadow, and truth ends fear… Open locked thoughts to my mind's willing ear. May the smoke from this candle into everywhere creep, Bring innermost voices to mind and speech."

At that moment, Draco caught her eye, and raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms over his chest. Hermione quickly looked away and saw that Anne was leaving the room.

Hermione followed quickly but inconspicuously, hoping that the king had found someone else to focus his attention on other than Anne.

Anne was walking out to the gardens, in need of some fresh air. She sat down on a bench near the small pond, not even caring that she might be in danger of prowlers in search of being satisfied. Hermione quietly walked up behind her, but made sure that her presence was known, so as not to startle her.

As she approached the bench, she asked, "May I sit?"

Anne nodded. "What are you doing out here?" She asked, without looking at her. She was staring at the pond, deep in thought.

"I needed some air."

Anne nodded again. Hermione could hear the skepticism in her thoughts.

"We are in a court full of womanizing men who want nothing more than to get any willing woman into bed, not caring whether she's married or not, and my husband hates me. I needed to get away from there."

"That makes sense. What do you mean by womanizing?" Anne asked with curiosity.

"I mean that all they care about is getting woman after woman into bed. They don't care about anything else."

"Ah," Anne replied in comprehension. "Why does your husband hate you?"

"That is a mystery to both of us. But I think he thinks that I would stoop so low as to make him a cuckold." They were silent for a few minutes. "What are you doing out here, Lady Anne?"

"I needed to… collect my thoughts." She said vaguely. Hermione delved into her mind, and realized that it was about Henry Percy, heir of the Earl of Northumberland. She remembered reading about an affair that Anne had had with him.

"About a certain heir to an earldom?" Hermione said lightly, but quietly.

"How did you-?"

"I've heard things." Hermione said vaguely.

"Do you mean that people know about Henry and me?" Anne asked with a worried expression on her face.

"No, that's not what I meant. I've heard nothing of it from the ladies, and you know how much they love to gossip, even if it is about someone that's in the room with them. I have other ways of knowing."

"I still don't understand."

"Once I feel that we are both trusting of each other, I shall tell you. But for now, you will have to try and solve this mystery for yourself."

"You are a cruel, cruel woman." Anne said with a genuine smile on her face.

"And you are a smart woman. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

They both heard the sound of approaching footsteps and turned around, hoping it wasn't one of the drunk gentlemen. The approaching figure stepped into the moonlight, becoming more visible to them. Anne breathed a sigh of relief.

"George! Thank Goodness. You gave us such a fright!" Anne said, giving him a hug and a kiss.

"What are you doing out here? It's very dangerous for two young ladies to be out here on their own." George said in concern.

"We needed to get away from all that excitement."

"Madame," George said, taking Hermione's hand and kissing it. "I do not believe that we have met. I am George Boleyn."

"George, this is Lady Elizabeth Carew, another lady-in-waiting."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Hermione said, curtsying.

There was someone else approaching, but the two women felt safer with George with them. "Elizabeth?" The voice called. It was Draco.

"Nicholas! What are you doing out here?"

"I'm looking for you. My wife disappears and I'm supposed to sit there and not do anything about it?"

"Right. Oh, Nicholas. This is Anne and George Boleyn." Hermione said meaningfully.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. If you will excuse us, we must be getting back."

With that, Draco dragged Hermione off to an empty chamber.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He asked, irritated.

"What?"

"You were out in the gardens by yourself."

"No, I was with Anne. And then her brother came to check up on us. Why do you care so much anyway? Were you checking up on me, trying to make sure that I'm not cheating on you?"

"Of course not. Why would I care? But hey, if you do get an offer, by all means, take them up on that offer." He said rudely.

"Maybe I will."

"Fine," He snarled.

"Fine!"

"Wait," Hermione said. "I need to tell you something."

"What? Hurry up and spit it out. I don't want to spend more time with you than is necessary."

"Well, I don't either, but we're both just going to have to deal. Anyways, what I wanted to say is that I cast a spell to be able to hear everyone's thoughts."

"Oh?" Draco said with his eyebrows raised. "I _thought_ you were casting a spell earlier, but I wasn't sure."

"I thought it might be able to help us a little. Gain some friends, gain their trust. We need to do everything we can to keep ourselves alive for one, and to get ourselves back to our own time."

Draco nodded. "Can you control it, or do you hear the thoughts randomly? Is it like Legilimency?"

"I can control it, and no, not quite. You can't see the images as you can with Legilimency. You can only hear what they are thinking at that specific time."

"Ok. Is that it?" Draco asked impatiently.

"Yes, you can go now, and return to whatever you were doing."

"I should walk you back to your quarters, first."

"No, that really isn't necessary."

"Yes, it is." Draco said. "Even though I really don't want to spend much time with you, it is proper protocol."

Hermione raised her eyebrows and walked with him in silence. She delved into his mind, trying to understand what he was thinking, why he was doing this, even though he didn't want to.

_He's worried_, Hermione thought. _He feels obligated to look after me, but he doesn't know why_. She smirked but said nothing.

At last, they arrived at the door to her quarters. She was hoping the other ladies-in-waiting were still at the masque or had fallen asleep. She really didn't want to deal with their crap tonight.

"Well thanks for walking me back."

"Er, yes. It wasn't too troublesome, I guess."

"Ok, well, good night."

"Good night." Draco started walking away but then stopped. "And try not to read or hear my thoughts too often, Granger. I like my privacy, and you might not necessarily like what you hear." He continued walking down the corridor.

Hermione blushed and let herself into the room, eager for a good night's sleep.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I was pretty happy with it. Please Review! By the way, the line that Anne said to turn down the king was actually said by Henry's grandmother, Elizabeth when she was talking to Edward IV.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Hermione sat in the center of the library at Carew Manor, her legs crossed, hands resting on her legs. She was trying to focus on her magic, trying to master non-verbal spells. She opened her eyes to look at the pillow that was in front of her and let out a sigh of frustration. Sitting there thinking, she tried to figure out what she was doing wrong. She could sense a presence behind her, and using her new ability to read minds, called out, "Don't even think about it, Malfoy."

"Damn it," Malfoy growled. "How the hell did you know I was there?" And then he remembered. "Damn that stupid mind-reading spell!"

"It's actually really useful. Like I said, it can help us make allies."

"Can't argue with that. So what's the spell?" Malfoy asked casually.

"Now why would I give up valuable information like that, especially when I know you would do nothing but abuse it?"

"You should be a little more trusting, Granger. Isn't that what you Gryffindorks are all about? Why would I, of all people, abuse it? I'm wounded that my own wife would think so low of me."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Nice try, ferret."

"I'll come up with my own spell then."

"I'd like to see you try," Hermione smirked.

Malfoy's scowl slowly turned into a small smirk. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've been spending too much time with me Granger. That smirk was almost as good as mine."

"You _wish_ that I've been spending a lot of time with you."

"Is that the best comeback you could come up with? Regardless, _you_ wish that I wish. You're secretly in love with me."

"Yes Malfoy, I am secretly in love with you, and that's why I now feel that it was a mistake turning down the king."

Malfoy scowled. "Don't you dare -,"

At that moment, Sir John Whiting entered the room and clapped his hands together. "Ok, children. Break it up now."

Malfoy had his arms crossed over his chest and Hermione was smirking triumphantly.

"You know, you two have to act more like the married couple that you are in this time instead of two adolescents constantly fighting. People will start to notice, and expect you to actually do something to fix your relationship since they see you as a married couple, not two teenagers. I don't know if it's absolute loathing or sexual tension, but maybe I should just lock the two of you in a closet until you work it out.

"Now, today we shall attempt to make a potion," John said cheerfully, not noticing the looks of disgust on Hermione's and Draco's faces.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

As Hermione walked down the hallway of Whitehall Palace, she noticed a woman walking in front of her. She recognized the dark, thick hair and the way it was pulled back.

"Lady Anne," Hermione called.

Anne stopped and turned, a worried expression on her face. When she saw Hermione, her expression turned into one of relief, and put a hand to her chest.

"Lady Elizabeth!" She smiled. "You gave me such a fright!"

"I do apologize Lady Anne. I saw you walking in front of me and wondered if you would like some company."

"Oh, I don't think so."

"Ok, well, I shall leave you be. Just remember that you can talk to me about anything." Hermione said meaningfully.

As they passed by some empty chambers, Hermione said, "Well, this is me. My husband wanted me to meet him here for Lord knows what reason. Until we meet again."

Anne walked on, not noticing that Hermione was still watching her.

"Lord knows I could use Harry's invisibility cloak right now." Hermione muttered. "Let's see… Bright light, dark night. Cloak me in light as dark as night. Things seen and things unseen, let me walk here between." She frantically looked for a mirror, hoping that the spell had worked. As she looked into a mirror, she could see nothing, and truly hoped that others could not see her either.

Thankful that the corridor was still completely empty, Hermione quickly scurried after Anne. She followed her into the little church that was a part of the palace, and took care to keep herself hidden but close by, just in case the spell hadn't worked as she had hoped.

She watched as Anne threw herself into the arms of a man. "Oh my love," Anne murmured.

Hermione's eyes widened. She was witnessing the affair between Anne Boleyn and Sir Henry Percy. She couldn't believe it. It was so surreal that she was here in the 1500's witnessing history for herself.

"Anne, my dear, I have something to tell you." Sir Henry said, holding her head between his hands. "My parents intend to betroth me to some rich courtier's daughter. I could not bear to marry someone else, so before that may be arranged, I must ask you if you would accept my hand in marriage."

Anne gasped. "Of course I will, my lord." She paused. "But would that match not be more appropriate for you than myself? You are to inherit one of the wealthiest earldoms in the country, after all."

"That is of no importance. I am in love with you, and have every intention of being married to you." Sir Henry bent down and kissed her passionately.

The church bells rang just then, breaking them apart. "I must go, my love," Anne said. "I have been here far too long already. We will meet again soon."

With that, she hurried out of the church, closing the door quietly behind her. Sir Henry waited five minutes before following after her, and Hermione another five minutes after that, in case he felt her presence following.

She walked back to her chambers, thinking about the scene that she had just witnessed in the church. As she walked down the deserted hallway, she lifted the invisibility spell. "Bright light, dark night, Unveil me from this light as dark as night."

When she reached her chambers, Hermione hoped to fall asleep straight away but had no such luck. Before she could even enter the door, an arm grabbed her and pulled her into another deserted room. Hermione rolled her eyes - what did Malfoy want now?

But as she looked at the face in front of her, she was surprised to see Anne before her. Hermione quickly hid her surprise and said, "Lady Anne, what is all of this about?"

"I am able to trust you, Lady Elizabeth?" Anne asked, her eyes wide and boring into Hermione's.

"Of course!"

"Come with me," Anne said, pulling her by the arm. Hermione stumbled, but quickly pulled herself up, and scurried, lady-like, after Anne.

Anne came to a stop before a pair of double doors, and turned to Hermione.

"I might need your… advice on something, so I am bringing you to meet my family. You have to swear to me that you will be absolutely discrete and keep everything at this meeting a secret." Anne said.

"I swear," Hermione said, putting her palm up.

"Good. Now, let us go inside." Anne pushed open the doors to find her family already seated at a table.

"Mother, Father, Uncle," Anne greeted them with a curtsy. "I have brought a friend who we can trust will help us and only us. She will keep her mouth quiet about everything she sees and hears, unless it is something to tell us and help us."

Hermione stepped forward and curtsied.

"This is Lady Elizabeth Carew."

"Lord Nicholas's wife?" Anne's uncle, Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, asked.

"Yes, Uncle."

"Her husband is very close to the king, and I know for a fact that she is one of the Queen's favorites."

"She may be, but she is also a trusted friend," Anne gave her uncle a meaningful look.

"Fine." Howard looked at Hermione and gave her a curt nod. "Lady Carew, please sit."

Hermione sat down next to a pretty woman, whom she took to be Anne's older sister Mary.

She gave Hermione a kind smile. "I am Mary Boleyn. Forgive my uncle's curtness. He's not a very warm person."

"And I'm George," the handsome man sitting on the other side of Mary said. "It is most definitely a pleasure to meet you again, my lady."

Hermione blushed. "Okay, let us look at some of our pressing matters." Howard said.

"First off, we must find a way back into the king's favor. After he finished with Mary, the king has paid very little attention to our family. We are not respected in the manner we should be, which is grievous on all accounts. We must do something to change our situation here at court. Any suggestions?" He asked, slapping his hands on the table.

"Well, I noticed that the king was paying much attention to Anne at the last masque." George piped up.

Anne's eyes widened and she turned to glare at him. "George," she hissed.

Howard turned his attention to Anne. "Was he really?" His face took on a contemplative look. "We must use this to our advantage. Anne, you must seduce the king and become his mistress. Becoming his mistress will help us gain more land, and therefore more power, and with his eye on you, he might succumb to that generosity easily. It is the only way."

Hermione spoke up. "I beg to differ, my lord. If Anne were to resist his advances, he might be even hungrier for her. Before he has her, he might do anything to get her, but you need to make sure that his desire for her still remains. He might bribe her with jewels and land and even titles in order to make her his mistress."

The Duke of Norfolk turned to look at her. "And what makes you think that you could possibly know how the king would act?"

"With all due respect, my lord, I have been here a very long time. I'm known to have a very good eye for detail, and am incredibly observant. I've also been in the position that you hope to put Anne in," Hermione said, fibbing a little to gain their trust.

"And why would a former mistress of the king want to help a future one?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Because I never cared for the king. My husband has all the wealth and land I could possibly want. I am not as ambitious as everyone else at court. I despise being the center of attention."

"There is no guarantee that your plan will work, though."

"Maybe not, but I have seen the way the king looks at her. That kind of want and hunger is not something that goes away very quickly."

"Very well. We will see how this goes. Breathe a word of this meeting to no one." Howard said, specifically to Hermione.

"You are all dismissed."

DMHGDMHGDMHG

As Anne and Hermione walked back to their chambers, Anne breathed a sigh of relief. "You have no idea how greatly you saved me in there. I'd rather not have to actively pursue the king."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Let me guess. Does it have something to do with your secret engagement?"

Anne's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?" She asked, in a panicked tone. "Did someone overhear us? Did they see us? Did they tell everyone else?"

"Lady Anne, calm down. No one knows but me."

"But how?"

"Let us just say that we may be more similar that you think."

With that, Hermione pushed open a door, and entered a room full of gossiping ladies-in-waiting.

A/N: **Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please read and Review!!

Chapter 7:

Hermione was walking around the palace, trying to find the royal doctor at the request of the queen. As she scurried down the halls, she heard a voice yelling, but the owner of the voice was behind a closed door.

"How could you be so foolish?! To get entangled, even engaged to a silly girl at court, who is worth absolutely nothing – I speak of Anne Boleyn. Have you not thought about your position? Once your father dies, you will inherit one of the greatest earldoms in this country! Had you sought the consent of your father, and made the king privy to your intentions, and requested his royal blessings, your desire to marry this girl might have been welcomed. You might have gained the king's favor by your wise council if you had done so.

"Your thoughtlessness has offended not only your father, but also your sovereign. You have pledged yourself to a worthless girl, one that both would agree is not suitable for you. Do not think that your father will not hear about this; when he does, he will break off this engagement as well as disinherit you. The king himself will be talking to your father about this matter. Indeed, I have heard talk that the king has already promised this lady to someone else. She is not aware of it, but the arrangements are far progressed."

Hermione recognized the voice of Cardinal Wolsey, one of the king's most trusted advisors. _More like the king wants her for himself_, she thought.

"Sir," another voice said, weeping. It was Henry Percy. "I am sorry to have caused such displeasure for so many people, including the king. I knew nothing of the king's involvement in this. I had considered myself to be of age and position to have a bride of my choosing. Although she is but a simple maid, may I ask why she is not suitable? She is of Norfolk and Ormonde descent."

Cardinal Wolsey exploded. "Did you not hear me mention the king's involvement in this matter? I thought you would have submitted yourself to the king's will once you heard of it!"

"Sir, I would, but in this matter, I have gone too far. I am unable to break the engagement in full conscience."

"Do you not think that the king and I see the seriousness of this matter? One thing you may count on is that your pleas will be pointless when you face the king and your father."

"Very well," replied Lord Percy with deep regret in his voice. "I shall submit to the king's will."

"So be it," the cardinal said. "Your father will be sent for, and he, along with the king and myself shall discuss what is to be done to undo this…folly. Under the king's name, you are not to see this girl under any condition, especially if you wish to avoid His Majesty's wrath."

Hermione heard the screeching of the chairs on the floors, and quickly ran off, returning to her original duty. She needed to find Anne, and warn her that the king had discovered her engagement to Percy.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

Hermione ran down the halls, holding up her dress by the sides. She slammed into a hard body, and fell backwards onto the floor. "I am so sorry, sir. I wasn't watching-"

She had bumped into Malfoy. "God damn," He cursed as he fell on top of her. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Get the hell off of me, Malfoy."

Malfoy smirked. "Maybe I'll just stay here. This is a great view," He said, speaking of the cut of her dress near her chest. Hermione immediately covered herself. She tried to push him off, but to no avail.

"Get yourselves a room," An old courtier called out as he passed by. "Young love these days," he said, shaking his head.

Hermione squeaked and resorted to kicking Malfoy in the crotch. He immediately collapsed and fell to the side.

"Sorry, Nicholas. I have to run." She said mockingly, and went off once again to try and find Anne.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

Anne was nowhere to be found. She wasn't in her chambers or waiting on the queen, or in any other rooms. The only place Hermione hadn't checked were the quarters that the Boleyns had had their meeting. She knocked on the door, and was greeted with a cautious "Who is it?"

"Lady Carew, my lord."

Thomas Howard cautiously opened the door and ushered her inside. Hermione saw herself once again facing the whole Boleyn family seated at a table, in the middle of a discussion.

"May I speak to Lady Anne for a moment? Just one minute." Hermione asked.

"Why?" Howard asked suspiciously.

"It regards some matters of the queen." Hermione lied.

Howard nodded. "Make it quick."

Anne led her into a small private corner. "What is it, Lady Carew?"

"Cardinal Wolsey, and it seems the king also, knows about your engagement."

As they were talking, a servant delivered a letter to Howard.

"How can this be?" Anne said. "We made sure no one saw us, except for you."

"I do not know, Lady Anne. But Cardinal Wolsey is forcing him to break off the engagement."

Anne buried her head in her arms. At the same time, Howard let out a yell.

"Anne! What is the meaning of this letter?" He asked, fuming.

Anne took the letter from him, her face growing pale as she read it. But, as she turned to face her family, she was calm and collected.

"It is what it is."

Howard slapped her across the face. "You impertinent child!"

"I am hardly a child," Anne said coldly.

"How could you do such a thing? To become engaged to Lord Percy secretly?"

"I thought you would be happy with the match. He is to inherit one of the greatest earldoms in the country."

"We are far from happy with this match. The king is getting involved, along with Cardinal Wolsey, and Sir Henry's father. This is an outrage!"

"Wait a minute!" Hermione said. "This is actually quite perfect for your plan."

"What do you mean?" Howard asked, narrowing his eyes.

"The king is getting involved with this, is he not? If the king himself is getting involved, it means that he's jealous. He wants Anne for himself. Any other case that this might have happened with a different girl of Anne's position, he would have sent Wolsey to do all of his dirty work. He would not have gotten so involved. Whenever she encounters the king, Anne still needs to pretend that she doesn't care about the king's attention. Pretend as if she is mad at him for dissolving this engagement. Mad, but not upset or sad over it. He will do whatever he can to be back in her favor again."

"You know, uncle, this might actually work," George piped up.

"Fine," Howard snapped. "But you are not to see Percy again," he snapped. "We will lock you in a room if we have to. And just remember, I have spies everywhere. I will know if you do."

"You are dismissed."

DMHGDMHGDMHG

All of the ladies-in-waiting were sitting in the receiving area of the Queen's chambers.

Queen Katharine was sitting in a chair, surrounded by her Spanish maids. "Lady Carew, please come here for a moment." She said with a kind smile on her face.

"Your Majesty?" Hermione curtsied.

"I wanted to speak with you about something. You understand Spanish, correct?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"¿Puedo fíarte?"

"Sí, Su Majestad."

"Yo creo que el rey tiene otro amante. ¿Tengo razón? "

"No sé, su majestad."

"¿Hay alguien que al rey le gusta?"

"No sé, su majestad."

"¿Me diría si supo algo?"

"Por supuesto, su majestad."

"Gracias, mi querida."

"De nada, su majestad." Hermione curtsied and returned to where the rest of the ladies-in-waiting were sitting.

Anne gave Hermione a curious glance. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing really. She just wanted to know if I knew anything about a new mistress of the king."

"Ah. What did you say?"

"I told her I didn't know anything. As much as I hate to lie to her, it is absolutely necessary that I do, and that I help you."

"Why is it so important that you help me?"

"It's not something that I can tell you as of yet, at least until something is revealed to me first."

Anne nodded and turned back to the needlework that she had been working on.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

That night, Hermione and Draco retired to their own manor.

"Today was definitely not one of the better days to be close to the king," Draco said, collapsing on a sofa and closing his eyes.

"Why?"

"He was livid over the whole secret engagement thing. I daresay you've heard something about it?"

"Of course. I witnessed it. And I also heard Wolsey reprimanding Percy."

"And I'm sure that Anne was also, by her family."

"Yes, it was something they needed to know about. And plus, this helps even more with their plan. I just wish that she would trust me even more."

"How so?"

"Well, she trusts me well enough that I am able to help her family and her with winning over the king, but she hasn't said anything about her involvement in witchcraft yet."

"Do you think it not possible that she isn't a witch?" Draco said reasonably.

"I guess there is that possibility, but it definitely would have made things more interesting, especially since she has us to help her."

"Maybe. It would have definitely intensified the playing field even more. Anyways, I am going to bed."

"Good night, Malfoy."

"You too, Granger."

A/N: There it is! I hoped you liked! I tried my best with the Spanish. I'm not fluent or anything, but i am taking Spanish at school! Please Review!

Translation of the conversation:

Am I able to trust you?

Yes, Your Majesty.

I think that the king has another mistress. Am i correct?

I don't know, Your majesty.

Is there anyone that is pleasing to the king?

I don't know your majesty.

Would you tell me if you know something?

Of course, Your Majesty.

Thank you, My dear.

No problem/of nothing, your majesty.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! A much quicker update than last time!

Disclaimer: I've been forgetting to put these up, so here's a universal one for the rest of the story. I do not own any of the characters except Sir John Whiting and the plot.

Chapter 8:

"I have heard talk that Henry Percy is to marry the daughter of the earl of Shrewsbury. Is that true?" Anne Boleyn asked Hermione as they walked down the halls of the palace.

"I believe it is. Cardinal Wolsey was the one that ended your match and I believe that he is the one behind this bound-to-be-unhappy marriage. I think he just wants to make sure that Sir Henry doesn't have the chance to act so unwisely again." Hermione replied.

"You don't really believe that Cardinal Wolsey was behind it, now do you?" Anne asked with a smirk. "Even if he was the one that told Henry to break off our engagement, it is easier to blame the Cardinal than the king."

"It is also safer."

"Well, yes, but I am not afraid of the king. Anyway, if the King thinks he can have me now, he is very much mistaken."

"For now, you mean."

"Well yes, of course. But I plan to make him work much harder for my attention." Anne smirked.

Just then, a messenger came up to them. "Lady Anne?"

"Yes?"

"I have something for you, from the King." He handed her a small, square box.

As he was about to walk away, Anne stopped him. "Wait," she said sharply.

"Tell His Majesty that I won't accept it."

The messenger looked surprised and somewhat scared. "B-But my lady, I c-cant possibly-,"

"Yes, you can and you will."

"Y-yes my lady, but he will be extremely angry."

"I know and I don't care. Take it away."

Hermione turned to Anne and smiled. "Yes, making the King angry will definitely keep him away from you." She said sarcastically. "He's not going to give up. He always gets what he wants."

"True, and he will eventually. But we need to make sure that I get the most out of it."

"I like the way you think."

DMHGDMHG

The palace was bustling by mid-day, but Hermione wandered aimlessly about the palace with nothing to do. The Queen was away, visiting her daughter Mary who had been sent to Ludlow Castle. As Hermione walked the halls, she heard a voice call out to her.

"Elizabeth, my dear," Draco called out as he ran to catch up to her.

"What is it darling?" Hermione asked with fake affection.

"We must retire immediately to the manor. There are some matters that we must discuss with Sir Whiting."

They hurried down to a carriage, which was waiting out front to take them home. Hermione turned to Draco. "What is this about, Malfoy?"

"I don't know. Whiting just said that he needed to talk to us about something."

As they arrived at their manor, they found Sir Whiting in the foyer, handing his coat to a maid.

"Hermione, Draco," Sir Whiting greeted them. "How do you do?"

"Just fine, Sir Whiting. What is this about?"

"Well, my friends, I have come here to warn you. A woman, accused of witchcraft, has been executed. Hanged, and then burned at the stake, even though she was already dead by the hanging. There is somewhat of a suspicious atmosphere at this time, and even a slight hysteria. You must be even more careful than ever before about reciting spells. It has become crucial that now, more than ever, you must be able to use non-verbal spells and magic. We will have to take even more precautions on the manor and the servants to make sure that we are not exposed and put on trial."

"Was she really a witch?"

"I don't think so, which means that anyone may be susceptible to accusation, which although is just a mere accusation, almost always means death."

"Is there such an atmosphere in the palace?"

"There might be those who talk about it in hushed tones, and there are definitely those who suspect things, but I think the hysteria part of it is more outside the palace and the court."

"What do we do?" Draco asked.

"Nothing. We wait until the suspicions die down. I also must leave London for a couple of weeks, so we will not be able to have these meetings until I return.

"You must stay at the palace tonight so you do not arouse any suspicions. They might think that you have something to hide. I will check in with you after I return."

DMHGDMHG

Hermione and Draco returned to the palace just an hour later. Draco went off his own way, most probably to the king, while Hermione returned to the Boleyn chambers. The door was locked, but she subtly muttered a spell and opened the door, making sure no one had seen her. The chambers seemed to be empty, but Hermione heard distinct muttering coming from another section of the chambers. She quietly tiptoed over to see what was going on, and found Anne in front of a large pot, and lighted candles placed distinctly in a circle.

"Lady Anne?" Hermione called cautiously.

Anne's eyes flew open. "Lady Elizabeth! What are you doing here? I thought I had locked the door!"

"Yes, well, I was trying to find you and I decided to come check here. Would you care to explain what you are doing?"

"It's nothing. I'm just… making a type of… healing draught for my brother George. Yes, that's it. He's been feeling a bit unwell lately."

"Do you honestly think I believe that Anne?" Hermione asked with a smirk on her face.

"No, of course not," Anne said. "You are too sharp to believe that."

"Then what's going on? Are you… brewing a potion?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"I guess you could say that."

"And the candles?"

"That is for me to know and you to never find out."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Anne, I'm going to ask you a question. I beseech you, do not become alarmed or scared from what I am going to ask you."

"What is it?" she asked resignedly.

"Were you… performing a spell of some sorts?"

Anne's eyes widened. "How- Why-,"

"I'm not judging you, just answer me truthfully."

"Yes."

"You practice witchcraft?"

"Only for the last few months. I feel that this is the only way to get what I want."

"What you want?"

"Well, think about it this way: if King Henry could become so jealous of my engagement to Henry Percy, so as to break it off and marry him hastily off to someone else, the depth of his feelings must be greater than we originally thought. If I can't be an earl's wife, why not try to be Queen of England?"

"Well, there is the small problem of Queen Katharine."

"The Queen has long been dethroned by the King himself, especially since she hasn't provided him with a male heir. King Henry would be looking for a woman, young and fertile, to bear his child. If he falls deeply in love with me, and he wants me, he will have no objection to making me his wife. You said it yourself, he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants."

"So you think a potion and a spell might help?" Hermione asked.

"It will just give him a… nudge in the right direction."

"Well then, let me help you."

"How would you do that?"

"Anne, I am one to… dabble in witchcraft myself. That is how I knew about your affair with Percy. But we must make an agreement with one another that we will never turn each other in as witches." Hermione said pointedly.

"Agreed."

"But I will need to tell my husband. He is a wizard himself."

"Fine, but only him. What would you gain from helping me?"

"Nothing. Let us just say that I know what your destiny is and I'm here to help you. You are the one that needs to be in the spotlight, and I will merely be in the shadows, helping you.

"Give me your right hand." Hermione said, holding out her own right hand. "Do you have a piece of ribbon?"

"Yes, here." Anne handed it to her.

Hermione wrapped the ribbon around both of their hands. "With this ribbon, I now bind… this vow that we have made… through space and time."

"That is basically an unbreakable vow. We may not reveal to anyone else but my husband, this secret. If we do, the consequence is as good as death."

Anne nodded. "Fine."

"I should warn you though. Be careful with your magic. A woman accused of being a witch was just executed. People are still suspicious and may accuse just about anyone as witches, so we must be very inconspicuous. Fend off the king's attentions for a while, and then when this execution is forgotten, you may be a little more welcoming of them, and can use your magic to help you in certain ways."

"Fine. I will do as you say." Anne replied.

A knock sounded on the door, startling them as they scrambled to hide everything that might be incriminating against them.

By the time they both came to the door, they had calm, collected looks on their faces.

It was the messenger, returning with a larger gift.

"From the king, madam."

"Take it away," Anne said in a bored tone.

"His Majesty was furious when you sent the gift back, madam. Do you think it wise…?"

"Tell him that I will not accept his gifts. I do not want them."

"But-,"

"Ok, fine. I will humor him. I will take the gift now, but I want you to be back here tomorrow, in the morning. Are we clear?"

"Yes, madam."

"Do not forget about this. Otherwise, I will personally have you dismissed from your position. I mean, I do have the king's favor and all."

"Yes, madam. I will be here tomorrow morning," the messenger gulped.

"Brilliant. You may go." Anne said with a bright smile on her face.

"You are very cruel to him." Hermione commented.

"Oh, I know."

A/N: Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I am so so sorry for the very long wait!! I will be updating a lot more frequently since it's summer break!!

Chapter 9:

A knock on the door awoke Hermione from her slumber, causing her to groan, and at the same time walking to the door with her eyes still closed. She opened the door, leaning against it for support, trying desperately to open her eyes but failing.

"Excuse me, my Lady," the person at the door said.

Hermione wearily opened her eyes. "You, again?"

"Yes, my lady. I have an urgent letter for Lady Anne Boleyn."

"A letter? From whom?"

"The Duke of Norfolk, I believe my lady." The messenger said in a small voice.

"Thank you." She took the letter and closed the door on the messenger's face. Examining the letter, Hermione decided to wake Anne right away.

"Lady Anne!" Hermione whispered, shaking her awake.

"Lady Elizabeth? What is it?" Anne asked sleepily.

"You have an urgent letter from your uncle." Hermione handed Anne the letter, who quickly tore it open. Anne's eyes widened with fury, and at the same time seemed to become blacker and blacker.

"What is it?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"My uncle is sending me away." Anne hissed angrily.

"Away?"

"Yes, to our family home in Kent. It must be because of my affair with Henry Percy."

"Or it could be your evasive behavior towards the king." Hermione said slyly.

Anne glared at her, a small smile forming on her lips. Looking back at the letter, her anger returned. "We'll see about this."

Standing up quickly, her nightgown billowing behind her, Anne wrenched open the chamber doors of the ladies-in-waiting and stormed to those of her family's.

"Anne! Wait! Don't make a fuss about this. This can work to your advantage." Hermione called, scurrying after her.

Anne turned around. "What do you mean?"

"Just trust me on this. Don't fight with your family on this."

She sighed. "You seem to be saying that a lot lately. Fine. But you need to explain this to me soon. And I still want to ask _my dear uncle_ why he's sending me away." Anne knocked on the door rather rudely until a servant finally came to open the door.

"Where is my uncle?" Anne asked curtly.

"Sitting by the fire, my lady."

"Move." Anne said and stormed over to her uncle. "What is this?" She asked in a deadly calm voice.

"Don't you dare use that tone with me, girl. It is what it is. We are sending you away."

"But why?"

"After that little disaster, we, along with the King, thought it would be best if you spent some time away from court."

Anne's eyes widened. "The King is behind this? Of course he is," she muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Howard snapped, his eyebrows raised and his gaze cold.

"Nothing. Of course I will go. It is my duty to serve my family, is it not?"

"Good girl." Howard said. "Now go pack your things. The carriage leaves this afternoon."

An even more angered Anne stormed out of the chambers to a very curious Hermione.

"I leave in the afternoon."

"For how long?"

"I don't know. A month? Maybe five." Anne said.

"But this is perfect! They say that 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' do they not?"

"Well, maybe, but that could how do you say, backfire easily."

"It won't."

"But what about… you know…?" Anne asked.

"I don't know if you'll need to use any of that while you're at Hever Castle."

"But is there any guarantee that the King won't lose interest in me?"

"We'll have to wait and see. If the King doesn't pursue you on his own, we might have to resort to it." Hermione said.

"But I might need your help. I haven't learned how to control my magic yet." Anne whispered.

"If you need my help you can send me a letter. I'll come up with an excuse to leave the Queen for a while and I'll come to Hever." Hermione said reassuringly. "This is the way it has to be. And we should come up with a word to replace magic. If anyone accidentally hears us, then they won't know what we're talking about. We'll use puppy. You haven't learned how to control your puppy yet. It makes sense, seeing as your family has some dogs."

"Very well. 'Puppy' it is then. Well, I should go pack my clothes. Will you come to see me off?"

"Of course. I need to go find my husband, but I will be there to see you off." Hermione replied.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

Hermione really had no intention of finding Draco, so it was with despair that she stumbled across him while wandering through the palace.

"Malfoy," Hermione greeted quietly.

"Granger," Malfoy said with a suggestive smirk. "I have the rest of the day off. Care to join me at home?"

Hermione scoffed quietly and moved closer to him, as people were passing through. "In your dreams, ferret."

Malfoy glared at her.

"Anne Boleyn is leaving for Hever Castle in Kent today. I told her that I would see her off."

"Why do you care so much about her?" Draco asked, pulling her into a secluded alcove.

"Malfoy, don't you see? We are from the twenty-first century, where history from this far back in time only seems like a story. It just doesn't seem possible that these people actually existed! Now that we're actually here, witnessing these events on our own…it just seems so incredible! I've always been so curious about Anne Boleyn and now I've actually met her, and learned the truth about her. We are experiencing history!"

"I guess I never thought of it like that. I only really felt like we were stuck here against our will."

"This is something that would never happen to anyone else. You know how incredibly lucky we are? Sure, there is the possibility that we might give ourselves away and just possibly be beheaded or something, but it's still the opportunity to actually witness these events first-hand."

"Ok, well, should I wait for you to go back home?" Draco asked.

"Yes, please do." Hermione said, turning around, holding the sides of her dress up so as not to trip, and hurried down the hall.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

A few hours later, Anne stood in front of her carriage waving her fan, waiting for Hermione. She had the driver double check that everything she needed was brought down and packed into the carriage. Suddenly she saw a flash of green scurrying down the front steps of the palace.

"Lady Elizabeth!" Anne said.

"Anne! I'm sorry I'm late! I lost track of the time."

"It's okay. I would really appreciate if you could come to Hever, though."

"I will try to come in a couple of days so that it doesn't look suspicious. I really can't be remembered as your friend or be seen around you all the time."

"What?" Anne asked, more confused than offended.

"I don't mean that I don't want to. It's just that I can't. I can't reveal too much right now, but if people start to naturally associate me with you, the course of history will be changed."

"Ok, I still don't quite understand but I trust you. I will see you soon?"

"Yes, of course," Hermione confirmed. "I will write to you when I start from here."

A/N: Ok, well I wasn't really happy with this chapter and it's not very long, so sorry about that. This was kind of a transition chapter. I will update soon! The next chapter will be longer!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I am SO SO sorry about the wait! I've been so incredibly busy with school and college apps. Please read and Review!!

Chapter 10:

Hermione sat by the candlelight in her chambers at Carew Manor, a quill in her hand. Dipping it into the inkpot, she started writing a letter to Anne, who was currently on her way to her family home out in the country, Hever Castle.

_Dear Anne,_

_It is has been nigh a week since your departure and I would think you were becoming impatient. I have spoken to the queen only this morning, and have informed her that I am needed at the bedside of my aunt. No one but my husband knows the true nature or my journey. I depart at dawn tomorrow morning, and hopefully I am able to reach Hever in just a matter of days. A servant in whom I have the utmost trust is delivering this letter to you, and will journey all night so as you might receive this letter before my arrival. There is much we must discuss upon my arrival. Once I reach the country, I will indeed visit my aunt, to keep up appearances. Your servants cannot know that I will be at Hever unless they are most trustworthy. Otherwise, I risk changing the course of history, and the consequences are dire. I will explain this last statement to you when it is necessary, but I beseech you to take heed of what I have said. Dismiss any servants you may deem unfaithful. I shall reach there as soon as I can. My husband will accompany me, and you may put all of your trust in him._

_Until we meet again,_

_Elizabeth Carew_

Hermione read through the letter and snorted at the last sentence. Satisfied, she sealed the letter with a wax seal and went to the front door of the manor to hand it to the servant. He quickly bowed, and descended the stairs that led up to the manor.

Hermione watched as he mounted his horse and galloped away into the darkness.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

At dawn, Hermione stepped into the carriage with a hand up from Draco, as a servant piled her trunks into the back. As soon as the horses started trotting away from the manor, Hermione turned to Draco.

"Let's agree to not argue while in the carriage. It's a very long ride, and it's going to seem even longer if we're constantly insulting each other."

"Done."

Hermione took the time to take in the scenery as they traveled through the countryside. She only wished she had something more to remember this experience, as she had no idea if she would actually be able to recall it or when she returned to their own time period.

She looked over at Draco and saw that he was immensely preoccupied in whatever he was doing. It seemed as if he was writing a letter of sorts, and Hermione was very curious as to what he was doing.

"You are certain that we have contacted the right people? The ones that are supposedly my aunt and cousins?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Granger." Draco said impatiently.

"But how do you know?"

"I did some digging around at court and I even asked Sir John to confirm it."

"Ok." Hermione relaxed slightly and closed her eyes, eager to take a nap.

The rest of the carriage ride was extremely bumpy and quiet, which Hermione was grateful for.

As soon as they reached Kent, they stopped at a small castle, which Hermione assumed to be their destination.

Draco stepped out first and then offered his hand to Hermione, helping her out of the carriage.

A woman of about 35 or 40 years old stepped elegantly out of the castle to greet them.

"Elizabeth, my darling!" She exclaimed.

"Baroness Dacre," Hermione greeted with a curtsy.

"Oh, don't give me that, Elizabeth. I'm your aunt, for goodness sake."

"I apologize, Baroness. You remember my husband, Sir Nicholas?"

"Of course. Come into the house, both of you. The servants will bring up your things."

"Thank you, Baroness."

"Not at all. I was surprised to hear from you, my dear. No one knew that we were not at Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex right now."

"Oh, well, I actually sent letters to both of your homes in the hopes that you wouldn't miss it."

"Ah, very smart, my dear. You definitely take after your mother. Have you visited with her recently? Although, I do gather that she has been very busy as Princess Mary's governess."

"I write to her whenever I can, but she is a very busy woman. I have not seen her, though."

"What a pity. Although, it is good for a woman to be independent of her parents. You have a husband to care for, now."

"Yes, Baroness."

"Is there anything I can get for you? I'm sure you would like to get settled."

"Oh yes, Baroness. I don't need anything really, but my husband and I do have an engagement later in the day. Do you have a library here, by any chance? Books about our family history?"

"Of course, dear. How can I not? You will find it right next to your chambers. Mary can show you where they are. I trust you will not hesitate to ask me for anything, my dear?"

"Of course, Baroness."

"I will see you both at dinner, then."

With that, Baroness Dacre disappeared behind two large doors.

"This way, sir and my lady, to your chambers." Mary said, motioning to a grand, spiral staircase.

"Thank you, Mary." Hermione said. She turned to Draco. "You've been unusually quiet."

"Just thinking." Draco said.

"This is the library, sir and my lady, where you can find any book you might need. And to the right are your chambers. Do you need anything else?"

"No Mary, you may return to your chores."

Mary curtsied and left.

"Ok, I'm going to do some research. You can take a nap or something. We have to leave in the next couple of hours to Hever."

"Yes ma'am," Draco said, rolling his eyes and walking away.

Hermione opened the library doors and her breath caught in her throat as she saw the enormous bookshelves. Rich tapestries hung from the walls that were not lined by bookshelves and the walls and ceiling were lined with gold. The ceiling was also painted in rich colors, but Hermione barely paid attention to it. She was more focused on the books themselves, in typical Hermione fashion. Hermione let her fingers graze all of them as she walked around the room, still awestruck. She searched for books about family history.

She finally found something that greatly interested her. Baroness Dacre, born Anne Bourchier, was the daughter of Elizabeth Tilney and Sir Humphrey Bourchier, and sister to Margaret Bryan, Elizabeth's (Hermione's) mother. After Sir Humphrey Bourchier was killed in battle, Elizabeth Tirney married Thomas Howard, Second Duke of Norfolk. This marriage produced Thomas Howard, the current Duke of Norfolk and Elizabeth Howard, Anne Boleyn's mother.

Hermione's eyes widened. This meant that Anne Boleyn was her (Elizabeth Carew's) half-cousin.

Putting the book down, she quickly went to go find Draco. Entering their chambers, Hermione found him strewn across their bed.

"Nicholas!" Hermione yelled, closing the doors behind her.

Draco didn't stir.

"Malfoy!" She said, as she got onto the bed and shook him awake.

"What, Granger?" Malfoy asked, clearly pissed off.

"I just found out some interesting information."

"Great, now leave me alone."

"Apparently, Anne Boleyn is supposed to be my, meaning Elizabeth Carew's, cousin! This is amazing!"

"How does that help us, Granger?"

"I don't know. Maybe she'll open up to us more."

Draco scoffed. "Ok, well, you can go back to the library and let me sleep."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh and by the way, we're going to need to come up with some sort of sleeping arrangement because there's no way we're sleeping in the same bed."

"Well, I'll sleep on the bed and you can sleep on the floor." Malfoy said.

"Uh, no. You can sleep on the floor and I'll sleep on the bed." Hermione retorted.

"Ok, you know what, we'll figure it out when the time comes. Right now, you go do your research or whatever, and I'm going to take a goddamn nap. Ok? Great. Thanks. Bye."

Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to the library, trying to see if there was more she could learn about these times, now that she was actually here.

DMHGDMHGD

A couple of hours later saw Hermione and Draco getting into their carriage once again in order to go to Hever Castle and visit Anne. The trip was a quick one, and as soon as they arrived, they made sure that the servants kept quiet about it. The carriage driver was sent up to inform Anne of their arrival.

One of Anne's own servants beckoned to them to follow. As they entered the castle, they found Anne sitting at the dining table, drinking some wine and reading a letter. Upon their entrance, she dismissed the servants and warmly greeted Hermione.

"Lady Elizabeth! Sir Nicholas!" Anne exclaimed, curtsying.

"It's wonderful to see you, cousin."

"Cousin?" Anne asked, confused.

"Yes, did you not know? My mother is Margaret Bryan, your mother's half-sister. They have the same mother."

"Really? I wonder I did not know of this before. Your mother must have been away a lot, for her schooling or she must have been married by the time my mother was older."

"Yes, that must be it." Hermione said. "Were you just reading a letter?"

"Oh yes. Care to guess who it's from?" Anne said, rolling her eyes.

"The King?"

"But of course."

"Do you mind if I read it?" Hermione asked.

Anne shook her head and motioned towards the letter.

_My Dearest Anne,_

_It pains me so that you would not accept my gifts. I cannot and will not understand why you think yourself unworthy, when I myself deem you very much worthy of my affections. I wish for a place in your heart, and put my own in your hands, with the hope that your own affection for me does not fade for the duration of your absence. I can assure you that my affection for you will not, and it is nearly unbearable to be here in your absence. Until we meet again,_

_Your loyal servant and friend,_

_Henry R._

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "And did you, by any chance, actually _reveal_ these 'affections' to His Majesty?"

"No. But it seems that this plan of ours is working quite well."

"It does seem to be so."

"What is my next step? I don't know how long I will be here at Hever."

"You need to keep him wanting more from you. You need him to desire you more than anything else." Draco spoke for the first time.

Hermione looked surprised.

"And how do I do that?" Anne asked.

"You're a beautiful, mysterious, and alluring woman. Use that to your advantage. Write letters that have him aching to be with you. When you finally do return to court, he will do anything to have you." Draco continued.

Hermione nodded. "Listen to him, cousin – he's just like the King in his need for women. He knows what he's talking about."

A/N: That was ok, I guess. Please REVIEW!! Oh, and check out my new story, The BackUp Plan! : )


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you for the reviews!

Chapter 11:

"Have you any word from court, lately?" Hermione asked Draco as they prepared for bed.

"Yes, I just received a letter from the king this afternoon. Things are not going well…"

"Why is that?" Hermione asked, curious.

"Well, with Pope Leo dead, and Pope Clement a weak man, Emperor Charles of Spain has more power than anyone right now. You know that after releasing King Francois back to France, he demanded more lands from him? And now the Emperor has the new Pope as his prisoner."

"Wasn't Wolsey looking to be Pope as well?"

"Yes, but I believe that the king would much rather have him at his side than in Rome. He trusts no one else so completely."

Hermione nodded and they both sat there in silence for a while. "Funny how fast we've become accustomed to this life."

"Yeah." Draco shrugged. "I guess."

"Well, I am definitely ready to go to bed. You can sleep on the floor. Ok? Greatthanksbye!"

"Hold it, Granger! I am not sleeping on the floor. Malfoys do not sleep on the floor. What do you think I am, a dog?"

"Well -,"

"Don't answer that. We'll both sleep on the bed, as much as it disgusts me to do so. I'll just have to remember to bathe thoroughly tomorrow."

Hermione rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "You realize that people don't bathe much in this time period? You haven't noticed that in all the time that we've been here? The next time you're going to be able to take a shower is in May."

"What?! You're joking!" Draco said.

"Nope. You can sleep on the floor if you're so worried about me contaminating you."

Draco glared at her. "I will sleep on the bed, even if it kills me." He said stubbornly.

"Have it your way then." Hermione said. She quickly changed into a nightgown behind the changing board, and surrounded herself with the extra pillows so that she didn't move too much, and so that Malfoy wouldn't either.

Within minutes, she quickly fell into a deep, dreamless, sleep.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

The next morning, Hermione woke up feeling very well rested. She opened her eyes and tried to get up, but realized that there was a strong arm wrapped around her waist, unwilling to let her go.

"Oh, crap!" Hermione muttered to herself. To make matters worse, she felt something poking into her backside.

"Oh, baby," Malfoy muttered, still in a deep sleep. "Stay with me."

"Malfoy?" Hermione said, nudging his shoulder.

He wouldn't budge.

She then had an idea.

Hermione turned around in his arm carefully, so as not to wake him – even though that was the desired outcome. She decided that she wanted to have a little fun with him first.

"Draco," She purred softly. She ran her hands over his upper body, which was shirtless and nicely toned and muscular, and started massaging him and rubbing his shoulders. "Wake up," she sang.

Draco groaned in pleasure as he felt her hands go up and down his upper body. "So…good…"

At this point, Draco's hands had left Hermione's waist, and he was now lying on his back. Hermione continued to massage him until she _accidentally_ pushed him off the bed.

With a loud yelp, Draco's arms went flailing as he hit the floor. He cursed and stood up, rubbing his head, and glared at Hermione.

"What the hell was that for? I was having such a good dream."

"Yes I know. I could tell." Hermione said, looking down at his… dilemma.

"Oh shit," Draco said, before pulling the blanket off the bed and covering his waist.

"But I have a feeling my massage had more to do with that than your so-called dream. " Hermione smirked and got out of the bed, with the intent of changing.

"You didn't answer my question, Granger. Why the hell did you push me off the bed?"

"You were spooning me, Malfoy. I wanted to get out of bed, but you basically declared your undying love for me and wouldn't let me go. And while I was trying to get out of your grasp, I _accidentally _pushed you off the bed."

"Accidentally, my ass," Draco muttered angrily.

"I'm sorry, what was that, hubby dear?" Hermione asked innocently.

"Nothing, wifey dearest," Draco sneered.

DMHGDMHG

Later that day, Draco and Hermione made their way to Hever Castle once again. Anne greeted them happily, and immediately took them upstairs to the library where they could have some privacy.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" Anne asked, as they settled down in the chairs of the library.

"Of course." Hermione answered, walking around in awe of all the books.

"How do you know so much about witchcraft and what I should do with the king?"

"Well," Hermione started hesitantly, looking at Draco, "I'm not quite sure I can reveal that to you yet, but I can tell you that my husband and I were trained in witchcraft here in England at a very prestigious school."

Anne nodded. "I need your help with a very weak love potion. We agree that we need to keep the king fascinated by me. It's a different type – not the ones that the 'victim' would ingest. Rather, one that I would rub on myself that has a very pleasant smell, and would manipulate the king's senses so that he is utterly captivated by me."

"Interesting. That should be easy enough." Hermione said.

"You should save some for yourself, Elizabeth." Draco said, smirking.

Hermione glared at him. "Shut up, you arrogant bastard. But we both know that if you were wearing any of this potion, not one single woman would be captivated by _you_."

"Marriage troubles?" Anne asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Something like that," Hermione said, still glaring at Malfoy.

"Let's get together all the -," Anne started. A commotion was heard outside.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. You two stay in here. I'll go see what it is." Anne left the room and closed the door behind her.

Hermione, however, sneaked over to the door and opened it very slightly so she could hear what was going on.

"Anne!" A booming voice called out. "Where are you?"

"Your Majesty!" Anne said, shocked, from the top of the stairs. "What are you doing here?" She curtsied. "We were unprepared for your visit!"

"That matters not. I am but a lover coming for his lady." He said, taking both of her hands and kissing them.

"Your Grace, you honor me greatly -,"

"My dear Anne. I cannot go a day without thinking of you, of how things would be between us. Do me the honor of being my mistress. I swear I will never hold affection for any other mistress if you agree to give yourself up to me." He said, lust in his piercing eyes. They were very close together, the king still holding Anne's hands.

Anne turned her head away from the king.

"I have upset you," King Henry said, stepping back slightly. "What is it? What have I done?"

"Your Majesty, I have already pledged to give my maidenhead to my _husband_." She emphasized.

The king let go of her hands.

"Your Majesty, forgive me." Anne said passionately. "I know how it will be. They call my sister the palace whore. I will be ruined, with no hope of a good marriage. Everyone at court will look down on me and call me the same names, and I refuse to give up my dignity in such a way. Your Grace, I do love you and I do wish to be with you, but not in this way." She bowed her head.

"I am sorry that I have offended you," King Henry said, putting his fingers underneath her chin and lifting it up. "I only meant to reveal my true feelings." He said, disappointed. "However, if you shall not become my mistress, you shall become my Queen."

"You Majesty?" Anne's eyes widened.

"For some time now, something has been eating away at me. I have been most unhappy, and I have realized why. You know that Katharine had been married to my brother Arthur, yes? After his death, I had felt sorry for Katharine, being alone in a foreign country, and I felt chivalrous. So I married her. My brother's widow. My conscience has not been clear for a while now. I went against the laws of God, and now God is punishing me for it. There is a verse in Leviticus that says a man may not marry his brother's wife, or else the union will be fruitless. My marriage to Katharine has proved that. I will have the marriage annulled."

"Does the Queen know that you plan to do this?"

"No. But she shall know soon enough.

"What about the Emperor Charles? He is the queen's nephew and things are not well between our countries."

"You do not understand these matters. Do not bother yourself with them."

"But - ,"

"Anne, my love, I need an heir to my throne."

"What about Mary?" Anne asked, knowing full well the type of response she would receive from the king.

"I need a son! England would never accept a female heir to the throne of England! I need a son, and I know that you can give me one. Katharine was not able to – she is old and ailing, and my brother's wife. You, my dear, can give me exactly what I want – your beauty, your love, and your son."

"What does Your Grace propose to do to achieve this goal?"

"I have Cardinal Wolsey on my side, do I not? He will be able to help me."

"Does the Cardinal know of your plans?"

"Of course. Sweetheart, we shall be together soon. You will be my Queen, the most beautiful one to ever sit on the throne."

"I am overwhelmed, Your Majesty."

"But of course you are, my dear. I will leave you to think about our future together. Come back to court soon, my love." He kissed her passionately on the mouth and ran down the stairs. He looked back up to her once more before going outside, mounting his horse, and galloping away.

Anne went back into the library. "Did you hear all of that?"

"Yes." Hermione said, smiling. "Guess we didn't need that love potion or perfume or whatever we were going to make after all."

"Oh no no no. We still need it. Now we need to make sure that he doesn't lose interest before he makes me Queen of England."

A/N: Please Review! : ) And I realize that that one scene with them in bed sounds totally dirty, but it's not. LOL


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I am soooo sorry for the humongous wait. :/

Chapter 12:

It seemed like ages before Anne, Hermione, and Draco returned to court. The King had not been discrete in his intentions towards Anne, and the Queen knew that her time at Court was nearing its end. However, that did not mean she was going to accept it willingly. The night that her husband let it be known that she was no longer of use to him had been etched into her brain like an engraving in stone – and it kept replaying itself in her mind over and over again. The vividness of it made it seem like it happened not a fortnight ago like it truly did, but rather an hour or even two ago.

FLASHBACK

"His Majesty, the King has arrived," One of the guards at her door announced before stepping aside and opening it.

_The Queen's heart filled with hope – this was the first time in many months that the king had come to her chambers at night. Her depression and anxiety at the knowledge of all of her husband's affairs were instantly gone, replaced by a glowing smile and an earnestness to fulfill the King's desires._

"_Your Majesty, this is such a pleasant surprise!" Katharine said with a curtsy._

"_Unfortunately, I am here on business…not pleasure."_

_Katharine's heart stopped for a moment. She told herself not to panic until she listened to everything the king had to say. _

_Collecting herself, she replied, "What is it, Your Grace?"_

"_Something has been bothering me for quite some time now."_

_She looked at him expectantly, but knew she could not rush him. It would only anger him more, for he was short-tempered and would not look on it kindly. He was the king after all. Everything happened in his own time._

_The king was staring at the fireplace, as if expecting the dancing flames to reveal something to him. Finally, he continued. "You were my brother's wife before you were my own."_

_This had been exactly what Katharine had been dreading. "This is true, Your Majesty, but he was too ill to consummate our marriage," She pleaded, all semblance of her calm and collected demeanor gone._

"_The Pope and the Church looked down on my marriage to you. Leviticus itself decrees that I would not have children if I married my brother's wife. And it has proven to be a reliable source. In the twenty years that we have been married, nothing can be shown for our time and my sacrifices for you."_

"_But what about our daughter? Mary, our precious child?"_

"_She is not a legitimate heir to the throne. I need a son." King Henry's eyes were ice cold, unwilling to show sympathy or pity for the woman before him. "I am asking the Pope for a divorce."_

_With a sweep of his cloak, the King left the room, leaving a weak and devastated Katharine on the floor._

_END FLASHBACK_

She stood in front of the fireplace in her chambers, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. A single tear slid down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away. Weakness was not something she could afford to have – and she refused to show it anymore. She was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabel of Spain, for goodness sake! Two of the most respected and powerful monarchs in Europe. She vowed to become the epitome of elegance and grace, just as the people knew her to be. Even after she is forced from court, she will be known as the true Queen of England – not that wretched Anne Boleyn.

Katharine was no fool, and she knew exactly why the King wanted her gone. She could read her husband like an open book; after all, they had been married for nearly twenty years. And of course, he wasn't quite discrete in his actions. It was true that he was becoming restless as he waited for an heir, a son to take the throne. But that wretched harlot of a girl, Anne, had him wrapped around her finger, and had not only the king, but also seemingly almost every single other man at court lusting after her. She had just arrived back to Court, and was already in the middle of all the drama and gossip.

But there had to be a way to stop the King from requesting that divorce. If he refused to stay with her for personal reasons… he might be willing to stay with her for the political well being of England.

DMHGDMHGMHG

Hermione jumped out of the carriage before it even came to a stop before Carew Manor. She had had it with Malfoy – he proved that he could be nothing more than the narcissistic arrogant arsehole he was in school. For what seemed like an eternity, she had been stuck in the same room with him, and had to listen to his insults and bullshit during the entire carriage ride home. He was absolutely insufferable, and Hermione vowed to do something about it.

Running up the stairs and into the house, she quickly found her way to the library and locked the doors so that Malfoy wouldn't be able to force his way in. She used a slightly more complicated and stronger spell that would be able to ward off any of his attempts to get into the large room.

It was often said that the library was a sanctuary for Hermione Granger. This proved to be true now, especially when she was trying to find a jinx that would effectively emasculate the ferret. At least she would be able to do that in peace, if nothing else.

Unfortunately for her, Malfoy was slightly smarter than he generally let on. He started following her as soon as the carriage _safely _stopped. He wasn't about to risk his life for the beaver. However, this proved to be a slightly stupid decision, seeing as he was effectively locked out of the one magical sanctuary in that enormous house. This meant two things: one, that he could not use magic to unlock the doors or the servants would start talking. And two, Granger was plotting to hurt him in one way or another.

Wonderful.

"Gr - Elizabeth! Open this door." He yelled, banging on said door.

"And why, you miserable little ferret, should I do such a thing?" She asked in a sickly, sweet tone.

"I know you're up to something!"

"Oh? And what would that be, Malfoy? I'm a Gryffindor! I wouldn't do anything like that."

_I could swear she had some Slytherin in her,_ Malfoy thought. "And I'm a Slytherin! Of course I wouldn't trust a goddamn Gryffindor!"

"You give me too much credit, hubby dearest." Suddenly, she found something that would give her a _very _good laugh. "But, I think I shall let you in now."

The way that she gave in so easily scared him. "Wait. Before you open the door, let's call a truce."

"A truce?" She asked suspiciously.

"How about, you forget about whatever spell you were going to cast on me, and I will…"

"Yes, Malfoy? I'm waiting."

Swallowing his pride, knowing that whatever she had found would be either utterly painful or even worse for his pride, he continued. "I will do whatever you ask for one whole week."

"Hmmm. Tempting, very tempting. Getting to see Mr. High and Mighty Pureblood on his knees in front of a Mudblood? Tempting, indeed.

"Fine. You have to be my servant for an entire week, without complaint, and I will not cast this spell on you as soon as I open this door. Deal?"

"Deal!" He said in relief.

That didn't mean she couldn't save it for later, though. That silly little Slytherin shouldn't have trusted a _goddamn _Gryffindor. She was going to have fun with this.

DMHGDMHGMDHG

Later that night, the oh-so loving couple returned to the Castle. The King expected Malfoy's company after the Feast for a few drinks and a game of cards.

This would give Hermione and Anne enough time to make the love potion in case the king decided to call on Anne that night.

Hermione met Anne in her chambers. They were completely alone as the rest of the family was off at the feast.

"I trust your journey from Hever was comfortable." Hermione said upon seeing Anne.

"As comfortable as a rattling, smelly carriage can be, yes." Anne said, wryly.

Hermione laughed. "That's true."

"And you?"

"Oh, my husband made sure that that journey was absolutely miserable."

"I'm guessing you were an arranged marriage, just like the majority of people at this court? A marriage that is best categorized as a business deal rather than an actual marriage?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, it seems likes you and your husband are always bickering or something like that. But there are times when I do see more than that."

"More?"

"Yes, like a forbidden attraction of some sort. Although, I don't understand why it's so forbidden. You are married after all."

"A forbidden attraction? You've got to be joking. My husband is nothing but an insufferable, arrogant ferret who makes it his life's mission to make my life miserable."

Anne kept quiet but smiled an annoyingly knowing smile.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Let's stop talking about this and get onto the potion."

"Fine." Anne shrugged. "I'm only trying to help you just as you are helping me."

"I don't need help. Not when it comes to my husband."

"Ah, you're one of _those_ women."

"_Those _women? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ferociously independent and strong. We don't see many of those. You take after Queen Katharine in that way, actually. This is something I greatly admire about her."

"Really? You admire something about her? You're the one trying to replace her as Queen."

"You know I have no choice. Growing up, I did admire Queen Katharine. How could I not? She is strength and elegance personified. But I can't let the fact that she hates me with every fiber of her being get to me; otherwise, I will not achieve my goals. It's always the same at Court - you do whatever you have to do to raise yourself up. No one else outside of your immediate family is important. Show even a little bit of weakness, and you are instantly devoured by the dogs that call themselves courtiers and ladies."

"Survival of the fittest, in a sense."

"That's an appropriate way to put it, yes."

"Doesn't that competition ever get exhausting?"

"Of course. But it doesn't mean we stop. We want to achieve something, and we go to every length to do so. Surely you must understand this?"

"Of course. I understand it all too well." Hermione thought back to Hogwarts. She loved studying and learning and being at the top of her class, sure, but there was another part of her that felt like she constantly needed to prove herself as a Muggleborn among many Purebloods. It was those stupid Slytherins that brought out this fierce need to prove that she was better than any of them despite her blood status.

"Then you understand why I have to betray a Queen whom I myself have looked up to and respected up until now."

"I know. And we mustn't forget that I was the one who gave you this idea in the first place."

"That is true, isn't it?" Anne said with a smile. "Anyways, back to the potion. What first?" She asked, holding out a pot.

Pouring some water in, Hermione put it above the fire to get the water boiling. "First off, we need to add some angelica to this potion, which is known to enhance female magical power. We're going to be adding some herbs that are meant to weaken one and manipulate their brain, so adding angelica will keep _you_ strong. Since you will be wearing it as a lotion, this is important so that the other elements don't weaken you. Next, we will be adding catnip, which is the major component – this is the ingredient that will help you to 'captivate your lover'. We'll also need cherry bark, cinnamon powder, damiana, dill seed, and coriander seeds. The coriander seeds will also help draw the king to you, and stimulate passion. We will also add Master of the Woods, which will help you to manipulate the king's senses, and be able to control him."

"Sounds good. And we'll add a little bit of peppermint and vanilla extract for flavor. These are two flavors the king cannot resist."

"Excellent touch. Now, we must wait an hour for it to finish, and hope that this potion has the desired effect on the King."

**Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Later that night, Draco returned to the chambers where Anne and Hermione were working on the potion, a letter in hand.

"From the king," He said as he handed it to Anne.

Curiously, she took it, already quite aware of the contents of the letter. Opening it, she scanned the letter critically, and rolled her eyes. "I knew it. He's annoyingly stubborn, I'll give him that," she said, thrusting the letter out to Hermione.

"He wants you to come to his chambers tonight," she confirmed. "You're aware that his stubbornness is only helping your cause, right? Why the disgust at his advances?"

"Yes, yes, I know that he's only making my job easier. And I will concede that he is an attractive man, but I'm still quite surprised that he keeps running after me in spite of my rejections."

"The king won't stop until he gets what he wants – you should know that by now."

"Yes, I know, I know. But how do _you_ know, is the question." She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Nice try. But all will come in good time." Hermione replied, a slight smile on her face. "Now hurry up and rub this potion on your body. You will become simply irresistible."

Anne did as she was told, and pulled on her cloak. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck. Now remember, you do not give in to the King's desires. You simply tease him, kiss him playfully and keep him wanting more. Make especially sure that he kisses your neck. Then, he will be under the effects of the potion."

Anne nodded and slipped out of the room, cautiously making sure that no one was around to question her actions. Making her way through the maze of marble columns, she quickly pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and found her way to the king's private chambers. The guards immediately let her in, and she stood by the door, pushing the hood off of her face. The king looked up, as he had been pacing in front of the fireplace, and a wide smile spread across his face.

"Anne. My love!" He said, crossing the room and taking hold of her face with both his hands. He looked at her for a moment, pure lust in his eyes, and kissed her deeply, inhaling her scent as he did so. "It's been too long."

"I agree, my lord." She reached up to run her fingers through his hair. He stared at her with even more intensity and attacked her lips, hungrily devouring them as if he would never be able to taste them again. It took all of Anne's strength to pull her lips away discretely and turn her head away, in order to offer him her neck. The king kissed her neck with the same hunger, not noticing the effect it had on him.

After a few minutes and after Anne was sure he had ingested and inhaled the potion, she turned her head back in order to kiss him fully on the lips. The king's arms ran up and down her own and he reached to pull down the shoulder of her dress.

"Ah!" Anne exclaimed. "My lord, we have already discussed this. I will not give up my virtue and my dignity in such a fashion."

"My love -,"

Anne interrupted him. Looking straight into his eyes, she whispered seductively, "You can do whatever you'd like with me…only after you make me your queen."

DMHGDMHGDMHG

The trill of a bell rang through Carew Manor, and two servants hastened to answer their mistress's call. They knocked on the door, and upon entering, bowed, ready to heed her every wish and command.

"Yes?" Hermione asked.

The servants straightened up, confused. "Did you not beckon for us madam? We heard the bell."

"Alas, no. That was actually for my husband. For one whole week, he has surrendered himself to my every whim and is not allowed to complain. But, seeing as he has not answered my call, would one of you be a dear and bring him in here? Use any means necessary. Thanks plenty!"

Soon enough, both of them walked in carrying him – one holding his arms and the other holding his legs. As soon as they put him down, Draco straightened out his clothes, his faces contorted in rage.

"What is the meaning of this? Sending these two idiots after me?"

"Well, dearest, you failed to answer my call. You are my servant for the week, remember?"

"Yeah, right." Malfoy scoffed. "I would never lower myself to such a -,"

"Leave us, please." Hermione said to the servants. As soon as they closed the door behind them, she got out of the bed and muttered a silencing spell.

"Malfoy, you insufferable git." She hissed, advancing on him. "We had an agreement. I wouldn't cast that spell on you at that moment, and you would do anything that I wanted. Do I need to do something to refresh your memory?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh please, Granger. You expected me to uphold my end of the deal? We've gone through this – I'm a Slytherin. You're a Gryffindor."

Hermione's face turned blank. She closed her eyes, channeling her magic. Malfoy _would_ hold up his end of the deal, whether he liked it or not.

"What are you doing?" Malfoy asked, a tinge of anxiousness mixed in with his scorn.

A few moments later, Hermione opened her eyes, and looked directly at him. "Making sure that you hold up your part of the bargain."

"Oh, and how are you going to do that?" Malfoy asked, sneering.

"I just cast a spell." Hermione said, a smirk on her face. "And don't even think about trying to cast another one – it won't work. I wrote the spell myself, and there are no loopholes whatsoever. And, considering the fact that you don't know what the spell is, trying to write one to counter it will be absolutely futile since you don't know what I said."

"You bitch."

"Go fetch me my breakfast."

"Yeah, right." As soon as the words left his mouth, Malfoy felt his feet move of their own accord.

"You can try and fight it all you want, but you won't win."

Malfoy's feet carried him to the kitchen, but he tried to keep his hands pinned behind his back. It felt as if something was trying to pry them apart, which it successfully did, nearly dislocating Malfoy's shoulders. He picked up a tray set aside for Hermione's breakfast, and walked back upstairs.

He set down the tray and glared at Hermione. "You'll pay for this, Granger. Mark my words."

"Oooh, I'm so scared." Hermione said sarcastically. "Now get out and leave me be. And don't do anything stupid."

DMHGDMHG

The next day, Hermione hurried to Anne's family chambers, anxious to know how her night with the king had gone. Malfoy was following only at his own leisurely pace, unconcerned, and still deeply annoyed at his current position of servitude to the one and only Hermione Granger.

"Hurry up, Malfoy!" Hermione hissed and knocked on the door. Both were ushered inside quickly,

"How did it go?" Hermione asked, seating herself on the arm of an armchair in front of the fire.

Anne smirked. "The king has sent Cardinal Wolsey to Rome with a petition to have his marriage annulled. I would say that things are going quite well."

Hermione smiled. "Excellent. Things are going exactly as they should." She sat fully in the armchair and rubbed her neck. "Nicholas, give me a massage."

Malfoy obediently walked over, muttering profanities under his breath.

Hermione pushed aside her hair, revealing her long, slender neck with its milky white skin. Malfoy stopped a moment as soon as he saw it. Never before had he thought of someone's neck as being seductive. He had to suppress the urge to devour it and leave his mark upon it, and reminded himself that he greatly despised the woman sitting in front of him.

Thankfully neither of the two women noticed his hesitation, and were deep in conversation.

"I am worried, though," Anne admitted. "I don't trust Wolsey."

"And you have no reason to. However, you must remember that Wolsey lives to serve the king. He is a selfish man, and all he cares about is improving his position and gaining more money and power. The king wants you as his wife. Until he has you, he won't give up. And if Wolsey doesn't succeed in helping the King get what he wants, the Cardinal will be a ruined man. Take comfort in that."

"That does make a great deal of sense."

"So don't worry yourself. Even if the Pope refuses, King Henry will do whatever it takes." Hermione turned to Malfoy. "Now massage my feet."

He took a deep breath to stop himself from losing his temper. Kneeling down, he took one of her feet and gently removed her shoe.

Anne noticed Malfoy's unusual obedience. "Your husband is being unusually submissive today. The two of you are the most stubborn people I have ever met, so the fact that your husband is obeying you is very suspicious to me."

Hermione smirked. "We had an agreement that I wouldn't cast a particular spell on him if he did everything I asked. But, being the untrustworthy fool that he is, I cast a spell that made sure that he would uphold his end of the bargain."

"Smart woman." Anne said. "But still, I am worried that the King will lose interest in fighting to make me Queen. What do we do if that happens?"

"We'll need to make a stronger potion, one that has more direct effects than the last one. We'll also need to write a spell and word it precisely so that we know that it's working."

DMHGDMHG

Later that night, the dinner banquet was accompanied by the court musicians and dancing. Hermione was asked to dance by several different men, and immediately accepted, her love of dance having been suppressed for so long.

As Hermione danced, she was oblivious to the pairs of eyes that were upon her. Malfoy watched her as she flitted around on the dance floor, an unfamiliar feeling filling his chest. He wanted to tear apart the man that was currently holding her in his arms and looking at her hungrily.

Malfoy took a sip of his drink and watched as Hermione walked towards him, the dance over. Her dress fitted her perfectly, revealing the hourglass figure he never knew she had. The corset helped in this of course, and it especially emphasized her heaving chest at that moment. A gold necklace hung tantalizingly low, nearly escaping into her bosom. Her hair was up in an elegant knot, but pieces of hair were escaping, grazing her neck. All he could think about was kissing that long, sensuous neck of hers. He shook the thought from his head, downed his drink, and stood up, grabbing Hermione's arm.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, although not quite objecting since she had downed a few drinks herself.

"Getting you away from those all those womanizing dogs that look like they want to devour you right there." They had left the noise of the banquet hall, and were now quite alone.

"Oh? And why do you care so much, Malfoy? I'm nothing but a Mudblood to you," she said, her voice getting gradually louder. Her tipsiness was evident in her eyes.

"You're fucking killing me, you know that?" He said, pushing her up against the wall. She looked into his eyes, which were smoldering and filled with lust. Hermione captured his lips with her own, kissing him fiercely. He caressed her neck with his right hand, the other resting on her waist, and brought it down to her shoulder, and traced her figure all the way down to her hips. He brought both hands over her bottom, one hand cupping the back of her thigh. Hermione raised her leg and hooked it around him, and Malfoy gently caressed her thigh, grazing his fingers back and forth, as he worked his lips over hers. Hermione put her hands against his chest, as if about to push away, but Draco took them and pinned them against the wall. Hermione moved her head to the side, in order to allow him access to her neck. He worked up and down her neck before settling on one spot, the junction of her neck and shoulders. Draco nipped at it, licked it and sucked on the same spot until he did indeed leave his mark on her. Finally, he stopped and realized what he had been doing.

"Fuck, Granger! What the hell was that?"

"You tell me, Malfoy. You're the one who still has me pinned to the wall!" Hermione said, her feet now firmly planted on the ground, and her eyes more sober than they were a few minutes ago.

"That was-was payback," he smirked, so as to hide his lack of comfort with the situation.

They pulled away from each other in disgust and turned around, not expecting to see who was in front of them at that exact moment.

**A/N: Who do you think it is? Please review! : )**


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! I would have replied individually to each of them but my internet time is limited, so I couldn't. I'll try to reply this time! : )

Chapter 14:

Hermione and Draco stood there absolutely stunned. They moved farther away from each other, and Hermione straightened out her dress. "W-what are you guys doing here?" Standing in front of them in period clothing were none other than Harry Potter, Blaise Zabini, and Ron and Ginny Weasley.

"We could ask you the same thing, Hermione." Harry Potter said, looking at the two of them suspiciously. "Why did Malfoy have you pinned up against the wall?"

"H-he needed to tell me something urgent, but seeing as he's Malfoy, I wouldn't listen to him, s-so this was the only way to get my attention."

"Really?" Ginny Weasley asked, smirking. Blaise gave the two a knowing look.

"Seriously though, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, Harry and I got a little worried that you disappeared and we went to talk to Dumbledore about it. He said that we would find the answers at Whitehall Palace. So, Ginny and this git decided to tag along and we came looking for you. But then, we got sucked into this vortex-type thing and found ourselves here." Ron said.

"Ah." Hermione inwardly sighed. She loved her friends, but helping Anne wouldn't be the same after this. _Nothing_ would be the same, as she was sure that she would be the only one actually enjoying being in the past and would also be the only one who would be conscious about not changing the course of history. She knew that Harry, Ron, and Ginny would only be concerned with finding their ways home. Actually come to think of it, she and Malfoy hadn't even been concerned with that. They had been so caught up in the lifestyles of the court, that it had completely slipped their minds. "Well, welcome to the year 1527. We are currently in the court of King Henry VIII. My name is Elizabeth Carew, and this blonde ferret is my husband, Nicholas Carew. We -,"

"Wait a second. Your husband?" Ron asked, getting angrier by the second.

"Calm down, Ronald! It's not like I had a choice in the matter. We were given these identities when we got here – we didn't choose them."

"Does that mean you two have to sleep together?" Ginny asked, her smirk growing wider and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Yes." Malfoy said nonchalantly, eagerly anticipating Ron's reaction.

"WHAT?" Ron yelled.

"Ronald!" Hermione said, glaring at him. She then turned to Malfoy. "You just had to add fuel to the fire, didn't you?"

"That's my job." He shrugged, smirking at Ron's anger. "Weasel here's just jealous that it's not him."

Ron lunged forward, ready to punch him but was successfully restrained by Harry and Blaise.

"Shut up, ferret." Hermione said.

"Or what?"

"You know very well what I'm capable of. Don't make me hex your balls off."

Malfoy opened his mouth, about to respond, but made a life-saving decision and decided to shut it.

"Is what he said true, Mione?" Harry asked calmly.

"Well, technically, we are forced to sleep in the same bed, since we _are _married. Otherwise, people would consider it odd."

Ron's face got even redder than it already was, if possible.

Ginny had a triumphant smirk on her face and Blaise looked as if he was about to piss his pants laughing as he watched Ron.

"We need to take this conversation back to our house. We can't afford to have people overhear us, and find out that we are from the future." Hermione said, softly. "I'm sure all of us will be able to fit into one carriage. Let's go."

"You have your own house?" Ginny asked. "Interesting."

Twenty minutes and a very uncomfortable carriage ride later, they arrived in front of Carew Manor. Ron and Harry looked up at it in awe and ran up to the house. Blaise and Malfoy followed, with Ginny and Hermione trailing behind.

"You have a hickey on your neck, Hermione." Ginny whispered. "Would you care to explain that to me?"

"Later," Hermione replied, blushing, refusing to make eye contact with Ginny. She took out all the pins from her hair, and her hair fell in waves, covering her neck.

She hurried past the boys and knocked on the door.

Their usual servant, Alfred, opened the door. "Hello Alfred," Hermione said. "I apologize for the last minute notice, but as you can see, we'll be having some guests over. If you could make up three of the guest rooms, that would be an immense help. We'll be in the library, so please do not disturb us."

She led the way to the library and ushered everyone inside, before closing the door and putting up extra wards to prevent eavesdropping from the servants.

"Ok, everybody sit down and shut up." Malfoy barked.

Hermione looked at him in surprise before turning to the four new arrivals. "We need to explain some things to you. First off, you have to remember that we are in the past. You must be extremely careful in everything that you do, for you could possibly change the entire course of history."

"Yes, yes, we know all this, Granger." Zabini said, rolling his eyes, already bored.

"Can it, Zabini. You may be a friend but I'll still gladly hex your balls off." Hermione said, annoyed.

"I'd listen to her mate," Malfoy whispered to his fellow Slytherin. "I wouldn't test her."

"As I was saying, talk to me before you do _anything_. I know a lot about this time period, so I could probably help you keep things the way that they should be. Next, is the question of magic. You may notice that you don't have your wands."

The quartet patted themselves down, looking for their wands. "Ok, apparently you didn't notice that." Hermione rolled her eyes. "We are in a time where magic is still evolving. We use wandless magic, and we must write our own spells, ones that are rather wordy and sound like poems. We'll start teaching you how to use your magic later, but you must remember that magic is seen as evil here. People are burnt at the stake for being magical, so you must use the utmost discretion.

"Now, I'm sure that you want to find a way back home. That is what you should do. Malfoy and I need to go back to the castle and tend to some business. We're going to lock you here in the library tomorrow until we can find out some things, such as your identities."

"Why does Malfoy get to go and not us?" Ron asked.

"Are you seriously that thick Ronald? You've been in the year 1527 for all of a half hour. Malfoy and I have been here long enough to establish connections, friends, etcetera. And Malfoy is a close friend to the King."

Harry and Ron scoffed.

"I really have been blessed in wealth and status in both the past and future, haven't I?" Malfoy said, pompously.

"Shut it." Hermione said.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Alfred will show you to your rooms. We'll discuss everything later this week." Hermione said.

"So, should we be expecting to hear a bunch of noises throughout the night, Granger? Or will you be using a silencing charm for that?" Blaise asked, smirking.

Hermione smirked. "Zabini, I could ask you the same thing…Malfoy's sleeping with you tonight."

Blaise's smirk faded quickly as Harry and Ron sniggered at his expense.

"Ginny, come with me." Hermione said. "I suggest the rest of you get some sleep."

She pulled open the imposing library doors and led her upstairs to her bedroom so they could talk in peace. She did indeed cast a silencing charm in case the boys tried to sneak up and listen to their conversation.

"Oh Gin, I'm so glad you're here." Hermione sighed, flopping down on the bed. "How long have I been gone?"

"A few days."

"Wait, that's it? How can that be? We've been here for at least a couple of months."

Ginny shook her head. "Maybe time moves faster here in the past? I mean, maybe since everything's already happened, time is just kind of fast-forwarding, showing us all the important stuff?"

"That doesn't make sense though." Hermione said, now pacing the room. "Do you know how we can get back to our time?"

"Nope. I think this may be one of Dumbledore's little tricks. We have to accomplish something before we can get back."

"Yes, but what?"

"Who knows? Dumbledore has a slightly twisted sense of humor. It could be anything. You haven't found anything yet? You said it's been a few months."

"Actually, Malfoy and I didn't even think about finding a way home. I just wanted to experience history as it was happening."

"You didn't even try?" Ginny asked, shocked.

"No! I was a little too caught up in the drama of court and I kind of…started to enjoy being here."

"Hermione, you can't stay here forever."

"I know, but it's been fun while it's lasted. But we do need to try and find a way home. There are a bunch of books on magic in the library downstairs. Maybe we could start there."

Ginny nodded. "Now, tell me why you have a hickey on your neck."

Hermione blushed. "It was nothing, Gin."

"It _was_ something. Malfoy didn't have you pinned up against that wall because he needed to tell you something."

"Ok,ok,ok. I give. Right before you guys interrupted, we had been, um….snogging."

Ginny squealed. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

"It meant nothing. We were both drunk from the feast and a little high on life, and we got carried away."

"Was he a good kisser?"

"Ginny!" She said, appalled. "I am not going to answer that."

"He was! I knew it!" Ginny exclaimed triumphantly.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Come on, what else? Give me all the details!"

"Ginny, is there a reason you need to know every single gory detail of my love life? Gory being the operative word."

"Well, my nonexistent love life is slightly depressing, so I am living vicariously through you. Tell me you enjoyed it. I bet it was so incredibly hot. I mean, all that sexual tension must have amped it up incredibly!"

"I most certainly did not enjoy it. And we will not talk about this any longer." Hermione said, not allowing herself to think anymore about the desire she had felt for Malfoy earlier that evening.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

Elsewhere, in the castle, Queen Katharine of Aragon sat at her writing desk, in tears. She was still pained that the King wanted to displace her as his wife, but she knew what she had to do. Taking a quill and piece of parchment, she started writing a note to her nephew Charles, the Holy Roman Emperor. She wrote in Spanish, for fear of interception by the King's own personal messengers:

_Dearest Charles,_

_I am writing to you in what is a time of great desperation for me. King Henry is looking to replace me as his wife. He has found a palace whore to crown the next Queen of England, but I am hoping that he cares enough about the political well being of England to stop this move. I have been nothing but a loving and faithful wife to him. I was a _good_ wife, fulfilling all my duties as Queen and turning a discrete eye to his indiscretions. Natural justice should only allow me to continue in this role! I have defended myself many a times, and will say it again: I did not consummate my marriage with Arthur. King Henry will try to have the Pope overrule the dispensation that allowed us to marry in the first place. Please do not allow him to do this._

_Love,_

_Your aunt Katharine_

Katharine sealed the letter with her own wax seal and handed it to the Spanish messenger that she had secretly summoned. "You know what to do."

A/N: I'm not fluent in Spanish so I wasn't even going to try and write that in Spanish. Please review! : )


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This chapter would have been up a couple of weeks ago, to be precise, exactly a week after I updated last. However, my computer had died and everyone in my family is attached to their computers like it's a lifeline and wouldn't let me use theirs. But, I have a new computer. So read on and enjoy! : )**

Chapter 15:

It had been nearly a week since Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Blaise had arrived in the year 1527. No progress had been made in finding a way back to their own time, and Harry and Ron were frustrated. Blaise and Ginny on the other hand, were getting frustrated at not being able to leave the house. Being the fun-loving people they were, the two were eager to experience life at court, all morals and inhibitions excluded. Looking at the pair, Hermione figured that the two would actually fit the time period quite perfectly.

It had also been a week since the King had sent Cardinal Wolsey to Rome with a petition for an annulment of his marriage to Queen Katharine. Hermione knew that an answer must have arrived from Rome by now, and was anxious to visit Anne, despite already knowing exactly how everything would eventually play out.

As Hermione was about to leave, however, the four new arrivals decided to stage a coup, and prevent her from leaving the house. Blaise stood in front of the doors of the library, where they had taken their breakfast, and refused to move.

"You realize I could just cast a spell on you to make you move, right?" Hermione asked, irritated.

"Yes, we are very aware, Granger," Blaise replied, rolling his eyes.

"Then why are you even attempting to get in my way?"

"We want out." Ginny said. "Hermione, we're not prisoners here. Actually, even prisoners have more freedom than we do right now."

Hermione sighed, as she had figured that they wouldn't accept this _imprisonment_ for much longer. "You're right."

"Hold up, wait a minute," Malfoy said. "Did the know-it-all just admit that someone else was right?"

Hermione glared at him. "Shut up, Malfoy. Don't speak until I say you can."

Her spell took effect, which in turn caused him to raise his hand as if in class.

She ignored him. "You can come to the palace tomorrow. I need to take care of some business there today. But before you go to the palace, we need to come up with identities for all of you and teach you proper decorum and protocol. For now, you need to stay here."

By this point, Malfoy had replaced Blaise in front of the door, his hand still raised.

Annoyed, Hermione rolled her eyes. "Speak, Malfoy."

"Why the hell am I still obeying your commands?" Malfoy asked. "It's been a week."

"A word of advice: never try to screw me over. Because you tried to get out of this little deal, you're going to play the role of my bitch a little while longer."

Harry and Ron's eyes popped out at this more extreme side of Hermione's normally domineering manner. However, they were overcome with laughter at the thought of Malfoy being in a position that he despised more than he hated Harry Potter himself.

With that, Hermione wrenched the library doors open. "Now Malfoy, stay here and look after the others." She closed and magically locked the doors behind her. She ran out the front doors and down the steps to the carriage that was obediently waiting to take her to the castle.

DMHGDMHG

As Hermione walked through the halls of the castle, she was forced to fend off advances from lecherous courtiers who were unconcerned with the fact that she was technically married. Although she wanted to avoid looking suspicious, she was forced to walk much faster in order to prevent an unfortunate encounter of the sort.

Hermione finally reached the secluded corridor where she was to enter Anne's chambers. Looking around quickly, she knocked twice, then once, and twice again in order to indicate her identity. Hearing the click of the lock, she immediately let herself in.

"Lady Elizabeth," Anne greeted, shutting the door quickly.

"Anne." Hermione curtsied. "Any news from Rome?"

Anne nodded and her eyes hardened. "The pope has refused to null the first dispensation that was issued for the King's marriage to Katharine. He won't grant the annulment," she said angrily. "I wouldn't be surprised if Wolsey had something to do with it. He thinks the King's affections are nothing but fleeting desire that will be forgotten as soon he finds some fresh meat. He thinks that I'm just a distraction."

"I don't think that Cardinal Wolsey would go that far. Wolsey is a man that thrives on being in the King's good graces. If the King desires you, Wolsey will do everything in his power to help him obtain you, especially if it means that he will be rewarded with money or power."

"Go on," Anne said.

"Now, we know that the king always acquires what he desires. If Wolsey wasn't able to help him in this task, King Henry's confidence in him will be shaken, maybe even to the point of ruin. You may be able to use that to your advantage, and take the place of the king's confidante. Try and plant ideas in his head that will lead him to make decisions that will in turn lead to _your coronation as queen_."

"Clever." Anne replied, mulling over this information. "However, even if Wolsey didn't have something to do with this, I'm willing to wager Queen Katharine did. Emperor Charles has the Pope under his thumb, and dear old aunty Katharine probably begged him for his help."

"There's no point on fixating on something that has already happened. We must move forward. We have another potion and spell to use on the king, do we not?"

"Yes, we do. It's a little more powerful than the last potion we used. And there's another ball tomorrow night – I shall be able to lay down some groundwork then."

DMHGDMHG

Later that day, Hermione returned to Carew Manor, ready to inform everyone of the upcoming ball. Throwing open the library doors, her eyes widened as she saw that the large space was void of the five people who would soon experience her wrath.

"Jane!" Hermione called to one of her maids, who came scurrying in worry and dropped a hasty curtsy.

"Yes Ma'am? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Where are my husband and our guests? I specifically told them to stay here in the house."

"They are out in the gardens, ma'am."

Hermione heaved a sigh of relief, and hurried outside to give Draco Malfoy a piece of her mind. She was greeted with the sight of Harry and Ron walking around the gardens, which was mainly a maze of short hedges with flowers blooming randomly from them, and a fountain in the center of the maze. Blaise and Draco were talking to each other in hushed tones, facing the fountain, which had a large circular base and extended up into the spiraling figure of a woman. Ginny was laying down on a little patch of grass immediately to the left of the entrance to the house, soaking up the sun. Seeing as no one had really noticed her presence, Hermione snuck up behind Blaise and Malfoy, and shoved Malfoy into the fountain.

Malfoy's head emerged from the water, sputtering, as Blaise looked as he was about to piss his pants laughing. "GRANGER! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Malfoy roared.

Hermione smirked. "That was for scaring me half to death when I realized that the five of you weren't in the library, which is where I told you to stay."

Malfoy growled as he stood up, still in the fountain. Hermione tried to tear her eyes away from him as she saw that the white shirt he had been wearing was now completely transparent and clinging to his chest, outlining his toned abdomen.

He slowly stepped out of the fountain and advanced towards Hermione, who realizing his intent, started to back away, her eyes wide. She then turned and ran, only to have Malfoy chase after her around the garden. Unable to get far, she was quickly caught, and Malfoy picked her up bridal style before cutting through the hedges and unceremoniously dumping her in the fountain.

She repeated Draco's actions and stood up slowly, slicking back her hair in the process. As she did so, Hermione noticed that all four of the boys were now staring at her unabashedly. She looked down and saw her dress clinging to her, just as Malfoy's shirt had done to him, and now successfully outlined her curves in a much more sensual and revealing way than she would have liked.

Blaise whistled. "Damn, who knew Granger had a body?"

"Shut up, Zabini," Ron spat.

"You're just jealous you don't get to tap that, Weaselbee." Zabini replied, smirking.

Hermione rolled her eyes and crossed her hands over her chest. "Both of you, shut up. We all need to discuss some things, so let's meet in the library in fifteen minutes. I'm going to go change into some dry clothes. Malfoy, I suggest you do the same."

Lifting her skirts slightly, she hurried into the house and called for her maid. She ran up the stairs and into the master bedroom, Jane following closely behind her. Going up to the mirror that was resting on a vanity desk directly opposite the doors, she stepped out of the wet dress as Jane went to go fetch another one. As soon as she did, Jane removed the wet corset, also replacing it with a dry one.

"Suck in your stomach, ma'am," Jane ordered as she pulled on the laces of the corset.

Hermione did as she was told as she bent over slightly with one hand resting on her hip, and the other resting on the desk in front of her. Jane pulled even tighter, causing Hermione to throw her head back in pain.

At that exact moment, Malfoy barged into the room, pulling off his shirt. He stopped and stared at the image that he saw in the mirror – a direct view of Hermione's cleavage, which was being emphasized in a very sensual way. It also didn't help that Hermione's head was thrown back in what could have been mistaken to be a pleasurable manner; Draco was now fantasizing her in the same position when he had his way with her. Draco's eyes widened at his thoughts and tried to shake them from his head. By this time, Hermione's head had returned to its natural positing and she was now looking into the mirror.

"GET OUT, FERRET!" Hermione roared.

Malfoy, in an effort to regain some semblance of sense and sanity, smirked. "Yes, ma'am." He mock saluted and lecherously gave her the once over before leaving the room.

Closing the door firmly behind him, he sank to the ground, his knees bent. He slapped himself, causing him to receive a weird look from one of the servants passing by. "Snap out of it, Draco. You feel nothing for her. It's just this stupid time period," he told himself over and over again under his breath. "I'm just sexually frustrated, that's all. Of course I wouldn't want to sleep with Granger."

The doors of the master bedroom opened, revealing Hermione fully dressed and looking down at him with disdain. "All yours," she said curtly before gliding down the stairs and heading to the library.

DMHGDMHG

Hermione found that she was the first one to arrive in the library. She wandered around aimlessly, looking around the vast room and decided to try and come up with background stories for Blaise, Ginny, Harry, and Ron. Draco had discreetly tried to find out if any of them had a known identity at court, but to no avail. They were truly strangers, and inventing an identity for each would be nothing short of interesting.

Ginny entered the library first, followed by Harry and Ron.

"Hermione, if you don't mind me asking, why haven't you found a way back to our time yet, if you've apparently been here for months already?" Harry asked.

"It never occurred to me, Harry. Yes, even the brightest witch of our age didn't think to look for a way back. It's weird, I know, especially considering that I should have tried to get as far away from Malfoy as possible, especially since I was stuck with him. But the bookworm in me couldn't resist experiencing history as it happened. I know what you're going to say – that defeating Voldemort was history in the making in itself. But this, this is like a foreign land almost, so far away that sometimes you can't help but wonder if it was real and these people did truly exist and these events did actually happen. I don't know if that makes any sense."

"It does," Ginny said, a small smile on her face.

Harry nodded. "I agree. But now, getting home must be a priority."

Hermione nodded reluctantly as Blaise and Draco entered the room, both nursing goblets of wine. "So nice of you to join us," She said sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah, get on it with it, Granger."

She arched her eyebrow before continuing. "There's a ball at the palace tomorrow. We need to teach you how to behave, especially with the king present, and give you identities. So, let's start with the identities part first.

"Harry, you will be a cousin from my mother's side of the family, Lord Thomas Fiennes. Ginny, you will be Harry's wife, Lady Mary Fiennes nee Nevill. Ronald, you will still be Ginny's brother, but will go by the name of Henry Nevill. These are all real identities, so you will need to do some research tonight in order to be believable." She paused for a moment. "Now, Blaisey, Blaisey, Blaisey. What do we do with you?"

Blaise smirked. "How 'bout I'll be your lover, hot stuff."

She smacked him upside the head. "Very funny, darling. I'm married to your best mate, here. Although, now that I think about it, I'm sure he wouldn't mind." She looked at Blaise with mock lust.

Draco's eyes flashed. "Of course not, you beaver. Why would I care?" He sneered. "But, I think it would look a tad suspicious, don't you think? Considering that you refused to cheat on me with the king himself."

"Ah, yes, I forgot about that." Hermione said nonchalantly.

Ginny's eyes widened. "Explain, missy."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "The King of England wanted to have sex with me. No big deal." She said bluntly.

Ron's eyes widened. "No big deal? Of course it's a big deal. Did you do it, Hermione?"

"Of course not, you idiot. Draco just said she refused his advances. Grow a brain, Weaselbee," Blaise said, looking at him as if he'd never seen something so disgusting in his life.

"Anyways," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Back to business. Blaise, you'll be Draco's foreign friend, Antonio Portelli. At least that way, they won't ask many questions since you're Italian anyway."

"Why can't I keep my original name? Zabini has been an esteemed name since before this time." Blaise said rather pompously.

Hermione shrugged. "You may keep Zabini as your last name, but change your first name to Antonio. I feel like Blaise is a little too modern, or in this case, futuristic."

"Fine."

"Now for the story. Ron was visiting his sister and her family when they decided they wanted to come up for a visit. Harry and Ginny, you live near the town of Hever, which has many working class residents. You wanted to come visit me, your precious sister, because I might be pregnant."

Draco spit out some wine as he nearly started choking.

"Oh calm down, you fool. It's a cover story." Hermione said, irritated. "Blaise, you are visiting us because your parents were old family friends with Draco's parents. At least there's some semblance of truth in that. Everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded in response.

"Good. Now, let's get onto the etiquette."

**A/N: A little bit of Dramione **_**lust**_** for you. : ) Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I told you I would do my best to get this chapter to you! So here it is! And, it's a lot longer than usual, so please review!**

Chapter 16:

Hermione bounded down the stairs of Carew Manor in nervous anticipation. Restlessness and worry had plagued her all day, and for good reason - Harry, Ginny, Blaise, and Ron were all infamous for having their own streaks of recklessness. Hermione was hoping they would handle themselves properly at the ball because one wrong word or move, and all six of them would be thrown into the Tower of London to await their execution.

As she reached the foyer, Hermione noticed that once again, she was the first one to be ready. She stepped back and checked her appearance in the mirror as she waited. Her hair was up in what seemed to be a very complicated bun, with a few loose tendrils delicately framing her face. She was wearing what could only be described as a Slytherin green dress – a slightly darker emerald green that possessed an almost mysterious quality – that complemented her tanned skin well. It had a low, square neckline that cut across her breasts sensually, and had long, bell-shaped sleeves that flared out at the wrists. The bodice was attached to an overskirt that was split at the front into an upside down v-shape that revealed an under skirt, the kirtle, that was silver in color and richly embroidered. Underneath the kirtle was a farthingale, which acted as a skeleton in order to give the skirts a dome shape.

Hearing voices, she turned around and found Ginny coming towards her in a dress of the same cut and style, but of a deep wine red color. Ginny had rouge on her face that was taken from red ochre, and especially emphasized her high cheekbones and her full lips. Even Hermione had to admit that she was absolutely stunning, and knew that many men would be begging for attention from her at the ball. She just hoped that the king wouldn't notice her and forget about Anne.

Malfoy and Blaise meandered in, whispering quietly to each other, too wrapped up in their own business to even notice the girls. Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes and smiled at each other. However, before they got the change to squeal over how great they both looked, Harry and Ron bounded into the foyer.

"Ok, everybody ready to go?" Hermione asked, looking around the room expectantly.

They all nodded, with the exception of Ron, who was now staring at Hermione with wide eyes.

"Something wrong, Ronald?" Hermione asked, noticing this.

"You l-l-look, um, a-amazing, Hermione." Ron said in awe.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Always the tone of surprise, Ronald." **(A/N: Yes, I did just do that.)**

"You can close your mouth now, Ron. You're drooling," Ginny said in amusement.

Ron snapped his mouth shut and looked over to Ginny, only to have his mouth open again, this time for a completely different reason.

"You look like a common prostitute," he snapped. "Go change. And wipe that make-up off."

"I will not!" Ginny said defiantly.

Ron growled. "You look like you're asking for it from any man that lays eyes on you tonight."

"I'm wearing exactly the same thing as Hermione! It's ok for her to wear this, because you get to ogle her, but since I'm your sister, I can't?"

"Ok, both of you, calm down!" Hermione stepped in. "Ron, she can do nothing about how she looks – that's the fashion of this time period. Let it be. I personally think she looks beautiful."

Ron harrumphed and crossed his arms over his chest. Hermione threw open the door and headed towards the carriage, the Gryffindors following close behind her. No one noticed that the two Slytherins had been staring at the two Gryffindor girls with unadulterated awe and lust.

DMHGDMHG

As the rest of her group stared around the banquet hall in awe, Hermione was looking for one person in particular. In the midst of this crowd, she knew it would be a difficult task, so she did the one thing that she knew would produce results faster than anything else. She followed the king's line of vision, and sure enough, there was Anne Boleyn at the end of it, dancing with a courtier. Hermione could see the burning jealousy in King Henry's eyes, and immediately knew that this was all part of Anne's plan – to let him know that she wasn't completely his until he made her his queen.

Hermione led her group over to a section of the table that made up the perimeters of the ballroom and had them sit down quickly as dinner was already being served. Food would be a good way to keep her friends occupied for the time being as she took care of business.

With the king's eyes constantly on Anne, Hermione needed to find a way to get her alone in order to finish preparing the new potion and spell to use on the king. They had been working on them for a few weeks now, and needed to put the finishing touches on them before the night was over.

_If only I could speak to her telepathically_, thought Hermione, mulling over possible options. _But that's it! If I could just come up with a variation of the "Hearing Inner Thoughts" spell so that it would be possible for only the two of us to communicate…That done, Anne could compel the king to stay away for a while, lest he be curious about her sudden departure from the ball. Then we could sneak off and finish the potion and spell. _

"Ok, let's see," Hermione said, focusing on Anne's dancing figure. "_Open locked thoughts to my mind's willing ear… And allow my sister witch to finally hear…_" At this exact moment, Anne made eye contact with her. Hermione repeated these two lines and then continued, "_What I seek to have her know…If not by speech, then by show._"

Hermione felt a pleasant warming sensation overtake her head.

"Anne?" She thought fiercely, hoping that Anne could hear her voice. "This is Elizabeth."

"Lady Elizabeth?" Anne replied hesitantly.

"Yes. I cast a spell so that we would be able to communicate discreetly with each other. I have a plan." Suddenly, she saw images flashing through her mind – ones that showed how Hermione had imagined her plan to play out. Looking over, Hermione saw Anne bending over slightly, one hand on her dance partner's shoulder and the other clutching her head. Hermione figured that Anne was seeing these images, and had hit her unexpectedly and with more weight than she could have imagined. The king was now standing up in worry, trying to look over the crowd. Anne quickly straightened up and cast a disarming smile at her partner, excusing herself from the dance. "Outside, now." Anne said telepathically to Hermione.

"I'll be back," Hermione told her companions and casually walked out of the banquet hall. Two minutes later, she was joined by Anne. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I just became a little bit lightheaded. I saw image after image flashing through my mind – I'm guessing the product of whatever spell you cast just now?"

"Yes, I think so. I apologize for that. Were you able to make sense of any of it?"

"Not quite."

"Then I shall explain it to you." Hermione said.

The two heard footsteps approaching and froze, their eyes widening in fear. "It must be the king!" Hermione said urgently. "You must compel him to go back to the feast and only to come find you after… eight dances have been danced."

Anne nodded determinedly as Hermione went to hide behind one of the many tapestries that hung from the walls.

"Your Majesty!" Hermione heard Anne exclaim breathlessly.

"My love! You worried me greatly! Is anything the matter?"

"My lord, you are sweet to worry, but I assure you I am in perfect health." Anne reached up to kiss him at the corner of his mouth. Leaning towards his ear and placing her hands on his shoulders, she exhaled slightly to tickle his skin with her breath. "Go back to the feast. Come and find me after eight dances," Anne whispered before pulling back to smirk at him seductively. She teasingly trailed her hands down to his waist and even further down to graze his thighs before bringing her hands back up.

The king groaned and aggressively captured her lips in frustration before turning around to return to the feast.

Hermione waited a few moments before coming out from her hiding place. "Now that that's taken care of, I can explain to you what you need to do. First, a little discretion, if you will?"

Anne understood immediately and led the way back to her chambers. Once safely inside, Hermione explained the images.

"Now, as soon as the king comes looking for you again, you must kiss him, lure him to his own chambers, let him believe that you are ready to give up your virtue. Obviously, you cannot do that just yet; instead, try to engage him in conversation. He will be far from happy about this, so convince him that since you will soon be his queen, intellectual conversation is a must. You want to prove to him that you will take to the position of queen in a way that Katharine of Aragon didn't, and you will prove to be a strong, _unthreatening_ ruler beside him. You cannot become too overbearing or he will regret his choice and dispose of you, feeling that his position is threatened. You will then start to plant a seedling of the idea to break away from the Roman Catholic Church, subtly into his mind."

Anne looked shocked. "Break away from the Pope and the church? It's unheard of!"

"You forget that the Pope and the church stand in the way of you becoming Queen."

Anne opened her mouth to protest but closed it again. "Touché."

"The spell is ready?" Hermione asked. "And the potion?"

"Look over the spell and see if I need to make any changes. The potion needs to simmer for a few more minutes and we just need to add some crushed coriander seeds and catnip and it will be ready."

A few minutes passed in silence as Anne did just that. "It's ready. Light the candles." Hermione did as she was told, and lit the seven candles that were arranged in a circle around the cauldron full of potion.

"Why seven candles?" Hermione asked.

"I'm surprised you don't know the answer to that, Lady Elizabeth." Hermione blushed in embarrassment – she was supposed to be the brightest witch of her age after all.

Hermione remembered. "For luck. Seven is the luckiest magical number."

Anne nodded. "As for the candles, you should know that using or even calling upon the elements is the purest form of magic and therefore, the most powerful. As I chant the spell, the fire from the candles will absorb the magic and contain it in this circle, adding to the power of the potion."

She picked up a piece of paper that was sitting on the table next to her and read through it. "My, my, the king really sounded quite pathetic at the beginning of his _infatuation_ with me – a poor lovesick fool." She smirked, and without a second thought, put the letter to the flame of one of the candles. She started chanting, "_As I burn the letter that marks the start, Of the fire and passion in a lover's heart, Let the words I whisper in his ear take a stand, And my every wish become his command._" She threw the slowly burning letter into the cauldron, which gave a small explosion. The lights of all the candles went out at once, as if a breeze had snuffed them out.

"All done," Anne said, transferring the potion into a small vial. "Now we wait for the king to come find me."

"I suppose I'll return to the ball, then."

"Elizabeth, before you go," Anne started.

Hermione turned around expectantly.

"_Guide these two so they may find, Hidden feelings that exist behind, the false facades of loathe and hate; may they reveal themselves before too late._" Anne muttered quickly, sprinkling something over Hermione.

"What was that?" Hermione asked, upset that Anne had used magic on her, a friend.

"That was to help you with your marriage."

DMHGDMHG

Hermione returned to the banquet hall in a huff, grumbling about how her marriage was fake and wouldn't last anyway.

She found her group exactly where she had left them, eating and watching the dancing.

"Well, I think I would quite like to dance," Blaise said standing up. "Lady Carew, would you do me the honor?" He bowed, flashing a disarming smile in her direction.

Hermione gave him a wry smile. "How could I resist such an offer?" She stood up and took his hand, not noticing the looks of anger on two faces.

Blaise and Hermione bowed and curtsied to each other, respectively, as they sent each other mock flirtatious smiles. They touched their right hands to each other and circled around once before doing the same thing with their left hands, not breaking eye contact once. They separated, ending up on different sides from which they started on. They took each other's right hands as if they were shaking hands, and stepped towards each other before stepping back and repeating it twice more. After stepping back the last time, Hermione wrapped her arm around Blaise's waist from the front, as he did the same to her. They walked around each other, before separating and moving on to a new partner.

Two pairs of eyes were watching Hermione as she moved across the room, pure joy evident on her face. As the dance was ending, she ended up paired with Blaise again, who moved closer to her to whisper something in her ear. She threw her head back in laughter, and shoved Blaise playfully as she shook her head at him, her eyes twinkling.

The two walked back to their group hand in hand and Hermione sat down, taking a sip of wine from her goblet. "Miss Ginevra, may I have the next dance?" Blaise asked, a smirk on his face.

She nodded and took his hand.

Ron scowled and downed his wine before slamming it back down onto the table. "Let's dance, Hermione."

Malfoy clenched his jaw in anger, but told himself to calm down. _I feel nothing for her. I'm just frustrated that Weasley's getting some and I'm not, that's all._

Hermione raised her eyebrows and started walking to the dance floor, Ron following close behind. However, before they even reached it, Ron stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione, wait." Ron said.

She turned around expectantly. "What's wrong, Ron?"

"I-I wanted to tell you something. Can we go somewhere else private to talk?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Hermione replied, confused. "Let's just go out into the hallway."

Malfoy, seeing the two trying to disappear discretely, sneered at the sight and tried to let it go, but to no avail. He stood up and followed them, and hid behind a pillar to listen to their conversation.

"What's going on Ronald?"

"Nothing, Hermione. I just -," He broke off, his ears turning red from nervousness.

Hermione waited.

"You look really pretty, Hermione."

"Thank you, Ronald. But I'm sure that's not what you dragged me out here to tell me." She said, slowly losing her patience.

"Actually, it kind of is."

Hermione froze.

"Look, Hermione, I really really l-l-like you."

"I like you too, Ronald." Hermione said as if it were obvious.

"No, Hermione, you don't understand. I mean in a more-than-friends kind of way."

Hermione's eyes widened. That was certainly unexpected. "Ronald, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, I do, Hermione. I want you to be my girlfriend."

Hermione shook her head. "No, you want this girl who dresses somewhat promiscuously and has better hair. You don't want me for me, Ronald. You're just horny."

With that, she left him standing there in shock and returned to the ball. Malfoy smirked in triumph and left his hiding place, following her back inside.

Hermione sat down next to Harry with a sigh.

"Well that was a loaded sigh," Harry said, with a small smile. "What's up?"

"Ronald just told me he had feelings for me."

"What? That's great! What did you tell him?"

"I told him that he was just horny."

"Hermione. You didn't," Harry said in horror.

"What? It's not like he's ever given me any indication that he's had feelings for me in the past. I mean future. Oh, you know what I mean!" She cried in frustration.

"Ok, that's a good point. But did you have to be so harsh?"

"Yes, I did. Otherwise it won't get through his thick head." Hermione said, defending herself. "He only likes what he sees right now - not my personality, not my intelligence unless it helps him pass his classes, and not my looks in our time."

"Hermione, come on. Ron's not that bad of a guy. And plus, in case you haven't noticed, you have grown out of the bushy hair a lot, and you're just as pretty as any other girl at Hogwarts."

"Thanks, Harry. And ok, maybe I should apologize to him. But not now. He does still need to set himself straight. Now, what's going on with you? I haven't seen you dance at all tonight!"

"Nothing. I'm just enjoying the view."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. She followed his line of vision and saw that he was watching Ginny and Blaise dance with a look of longing in his face.

"Oh, Harry," She said, softly. "I don't think anything's going on with them. I'm sure you could still be with Blaise if you wanted to."

"Hermione!" Harry sputtered in disbelief.

"What?" She said, giggling. "I was just trying to bring some humor to the situation. Seriously though, Ginny's been in love with you forever. Maybe she just got tired of waiting. _Do_ something if you want to be with her."

Hermione watched Blaise as he bowed to Ginny and walked away from her to dance with two other women who were looking at him hungrily. Ginny herself turned around to face a handsome courtier that had just tapped her shoulder for a dance.

In an effort to distract Harry, she asked, "Where's Malfoy?"

At that precise moment, Malfoy made his presence known. "Looking for me?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Let's dance, Granger." He took her arm and pulled her to the dance floor, unwilling to listen to her squeals of protest.

Hermione sighed in slight annoyance. As Malfoy took her by the waist, she tried not to think of the spark of electricity she felt as he touched her. The dance required that they keep eye contact, and Hermione was forced to look into smoldering grey eyes that seemed to darken with each passing minute. She kept her face completely blank, but secretly kept praying for the dance to be over.

But it seemed that the powers that Be had it in for her – the dance felt like it lasted a lifetime. As soon as it was over, she pulled herself from Malfoy's grasp and walked away calmly, not allowing herself to show that she had been deeply affected by that damned dance.

As soon as she reached the table, Hermione was greeted with the angry face of Ron.

"We need to talk," Ron said angrily, pulling her into the hallway once more.

Hermione wrenched her arm from his grasp. "I don't understand why you boys think you can manhandle me like this," she spat angrily.

"Is that why you don't want to be with me, Hermione? Malfoy? You and Malfoy have something going on that none of us know about?"

"What? How dare you even suggest such a thing!" Hermione said, outraged. She reached up and slapped him before storming off back to Harry. She had had enough drama for the night and wanted to go home and burrow under the covers and never come out.

"Let's go, we're leaving," She hissed to Harry, who was sitting down with Ginny.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Ginny asked in confusion.

"I'll tell you later. Let's go find Malfoy and Blaise."

"I saw Malfoy heading in that direction," Harry said helpfully pointing to a different set of doors than the ones Hermione had been coming in and out of all evening. She headed in that direction, with Ginny and Harry trailing behind her.

After pushing through the doors, Hermione found herself in a different corridor that was dimly lit and seemed to be deserted. "Nicholas!" Hermione called.

She heard voices coming from a room and poked her head in, only to be met with the sight of Malfoy senselessly snogging a woman that he had pushed up against the wall.

Hermione felt a flood of emotions overcome her but kept them in check. She had no right to be upset – there was nothing going on with the two of them. They were only married in the 1500s, but she still felt like something had taken her insides and twisted them.

"Nicholas!" Hermione yelled irritatedly over the groans of pleasure that the two were making. "We're leaving."

"And who are you?" The woman Malfoy had been snogging asked snottily.

"His wife." Hermione sneered as she turned around and left the room.

Upon seeing the look of thunder on Hermione's face, Ginny and Harry turned to the door to see what angered her so much. Malfoy and his tramp were coming out the door, looking rather unashamed for being caught in such a situation.

"Where's Blaise?" Hermione asked in a clipped tone.

"Over there," Malfoy said cautiously, pointing to the room across the hall.

Hermione knocked first in the hopes of warning the room's occupants, but no one answered. She opened the door cautiously and was met with the sight of Blaise with his arms around two women, thankfully still dressed.

Hermione looked at them in disgust. "Blaise. That's disgusting." She said, shaking her head. "Let's go, we're leaving."

"Sorry, ladies. Maybe another time," Blaise winked at them and bowed before closing the door behind him.

"We need to find Ronald."

"I'll do it," Harry said. "Stay here."

A few minutes later, Harry returned with Ron in tow.

"Let's go home. I think we've all had enough excitement for the night."

**A/N: A much longer chapter than usual with a lot of drama! What did you think about the spells? I wrote them myself but I wasn't too happy about two of them. Please review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I only got three reviews for the last chapter. That was kind of depressing, I'm not gonna lie. : ( Anyways, starting now, the historical events that are supposed to happen in the span of four or five years are going to happen in less time, especially since they all can't be stuck in the past forever.**

**Also in response to CourtneyP's review: You're right that Hermione could make the same argument about Draco's feelings for her. Right now, it's only lust. The only difference is that Hermione returns that feeling. As for Harry's feelings for Ginny, I haven't given any indication that his feelings for her are only lust.**

Chapter 17:

Hermione lay awake in her bed later that night, staring at the ceiling and fiddling with the comforter. She had no reason to feel jealous or angry or upset. Despite this, she couldn't help but feel all three, and this irritated her beyond belief. She wasn't supposed to care what Draco Malfoy did. He was her archenemy, and always would be.

A knock on her door roused her from her thoughts.

"Who is it?" Hermione called out, pulling her covers up over her self more securely.

"Ginny!"

"Come in."

Ginny peeked around the door hesitantly before entering the room and shutting the door. Hermione sat up in bed and patted the space next to her, offering her some of the comforter by pulling it back.

"How are you doing?" Ginny asked, getting comfortable next to Hermione.

"I'm fine, Ginny."

"No you're not. I'm not stupid, you know."

"What are you going on about?" Hermione asked, irritated.

"Um, Malfoy, snogging another woman."

"And why would that have any effect on me whatsoever?"

"Hermione, _come on_." Ginny said, exasperated.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. "Look, I feel a little irritated that he snogged another woman when he's technically supposed to be my husband."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "You're irritated? Not jealous?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Hermione said, a little too quickly. "It's just that Malfoy's being a total hypocrite – he thinks he can cheat on me, yet he was angry when the king of England wanted me."

"You did snog the man, Hermione. And according to you, the pair of you has been here for a few months. Something was bound to happen between you."

"Ginny, just stop. I don't want to discuss this any further."

"But the question is, if you two don't feel anything for each other, why do you even care about what the other does? You're not really married. You're just taking on the identities of two people who are."

"Th-th-that's ridiculous," Hermione sputtered. "It's just the principle of the thing. If we're going to pull this façade of, we need to make it convincing and act like a true married couple."

"Bull. Shit."

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is, and you know it. Very few people actually care about their reputation after they are married. Reputation, family, and wealth are what get you married here in the sixteenth century. But almost every other man in this court is seeking pleasure outside of their marriage, and the wives don't give a shit. They've all been forced into these marriages. I saw this at the ball, Hermione. These people only care about what kind of pleasure they'll get out of any _arrangements_ they've made at the end of the day, not whether or not you act like a married couple."

Hermione shook her head. "STOP talking about this."

Ginny harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. But this isn't over."

Hermione rolled over onto her side, facing away from Ginny. "Good night, Ginevra."

DMHGDMHG

After what seemed like an eternity of tossing and turning, Hermione quietly got out of bed so as not to wake Ginny, and lit the candle that was resting on her bedside table. Picking it up, she quietly slipped out of the room and made her way down to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea before finding her way to the library. In typical Hermione Granger fashion, she figured she might as well do something useful instead of _trying_ to sleep, especially when she knew that failure in this case was inevitable.

Hermione pushed the door open with her elbow, balancing her tea and the lit candle precariously in either hand. She immediately went over to the fireplace and used the flame of her candle to light the logs and give herself some heat and even a little more light. Turning around, she held the candle towards the armchair that she knew was in front of the fireplace, but gave a startled shriek and sent her cup flying onto the floor. The light from the candle had revealed the shadow of a figure sitting in the armchair - a sight that, needless to say, Hermione was not expecting.

She clutched her chest, mentally trying to will her heart rate to slow down. Bending closer to the figure, she saw that it was only Blaise, who had fallen asleep with his mouth wide open.

Ignoring the spilled tea, she reached over and nudged him until he awoke.

"Wha-? Huh? Where am I?" Blaise asked sleepily, looking around the room with his eyes still closed.

"Blaise, honey, open your eyes." Hermione said as if talking to a child. "You're in the library. Which brings me to…why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you here in the library as opposed to your room?"

"I couldn't sleep. Malfoy's a little too touchy-feely in his sleep."

"Ah, yes. He is that." Hermione said, smirking slightly.

"Why are _you_ here?" Blaise asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I was feeling restless as well." Hermione said, setting the candle on the mantle of the fireplace, and sinking down onto the plush carpet that blanketed the floor of the library.

"Here, sit in the chair," Blaise said graciously, standing up.

"No, it's ok, Blaise. Sit down. I'd rather sit on the floor." Hermione said, stretching her arms up over her head and intentionally falling backward so that she was now lying on the floor. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily, enjoying the warmth from the fire and the peacefulness of the library, her sanctuary. "Why must our lives always be so…eventful? All the drama is getting so exhausting."

"I know what you mean," Blaise said, chuckling. "But we wouldn't be wizards if our lives weren't so eventful."

"Mmm," Hermione said in peaceful agreement.

"So, I heard that you walked in on Malfoy snogging another woman?" Blaise said abruptly.

Hermione's eyes snapped open. "Yes, and?"

"It didn't bother you?"

"Of course not." Hermione said, staring up at the ceiling. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason… I just thought that maybe you might want to give him a piece of his own medicine."

"Why would I want to do that? I don't care about the git. Nor does he care about me."

"Maybe not. But technically speaking, he is supposed to be your husband. I had a feeling that infidelity would never fly with Miss Hermione Granger."

"It wouldn't." Hermione spat.

"Now, now, my dear. There's no need to get worked up about it. I just figured you might want to get your…revenge."

"And why would you want to help me do that? He's your best friend," Hermione said suspiciously.

"Because that git needs to be take down a peg or two. He's always had to be."

"Fine. I'm listening."

"Well, it's rather simple, really." Blaise said, a sly smile on his face. "We just make him think that there's something between us. That we've not only snogged, but…reached home base."

"Did Blaise Zabini just use a Muggle baseball reference? Now why does that shock me so?" Hermione said, bolting upright.

"One of my mother's last suitors was a Muggleborn. Surprisingly, I quite liked the fellow, but my mother turned him down. Someone else just happened to have more money than he did."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "That explains a little bit. Now, the part I don't understand is this: _why the hell_ would Malfoy care if you and I were involved, in some way, shape, or form? He hates me."

"And _that_ is where you are mistaken, my dear."

Hermione scoffed.

"Ok, that might be pushing it a little bit. Malfoy does still hate you, but not as much as he used to. I'm sure you are aware of Malfoy's reputation at school?"

"Ah yes. The Slytherin Sex God." Hermione said in disdain.

"That should have been _me_. But no, I got stuck with 'Slytherin Studmuffin'." Blaise whined.

Hermione looked at him as if he was an utter idiot.

Clearing his throat, Blaise continued. "But that's beside the point. Malfoy is infamous for his conquests. He sees you as a conquest now as well, but of course, an impossible one. Because, why would Hermione Granger ever give Draco Malfoy the time of day? Show him you're involved with someone else, and it'll piss him off so much. He's persistent. And believe you me, he does not stop until he gets what he wants. It'll drive him insane, since you would never even touch him. Right?"

"Haha yeah…" Hermione said fakely.

"So, are you in?"

Hermione surveyed Blaise for a moment. "What's in it for you, other than seeing your best friend taken down a peg?"

"The pleasure of your company, of course."

"Why don't I trust you?"

"Because I'm a Slytherin, dearest. It's not in your nature to do so."

"And it's also not in your nature to be trustworthy."

"Touché. But that doesn't mean I'm not telling you the truth. And even if you refuse, I'm going to do my best to get you to play along."

Hermione gave him a small smile. "Fine. Why the hell not? I honestly don't think he'll react because of the reason you gave me. I think he's going to be a hypocritical arsehole and pull that marriage fidelity crap. But it'll be fun to pretend. It'll give Harry and Ron a heart attack."

"That's the spirit!" Blaise said, overjoyed. "Now, pookie, when should we reveal our relationship to the rest of them?"

"First of all, ew. Don't ever call me that again. Just start with the innuendos that you seem to be disturbingly good at coming up with it."

Blaise had a proud smile on his face. "I am, aren't I?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Maybe at dinner tomorrow night?"

"Sounds good. Will you be going up to the castle tomorrow?"

"No, I don't think so. With the queen at Windsor Castle, grieving for her lost child, I don't really have to do anything tomorrow."

DMHGDMHG

Hermione sat at the dining table, sipping on her tea the next morning. She gazed dazedly at the carpet, not even noticing the rest of her friends come in.

"Mione?" Ginny asked, jerking her out of her daze. "Where were you last night? I woke up and you were gone."

"I was feeling really restless, Gin. I still am, actually. I just wish I could get my mind off of things and go to the gym or something and work out."

"Well, you gave me quite the workout last night, baby." Blaise said, smirking.

Hermione opened her mouth and closed it, before opening it again. "Blaise!" She said, blushing.

Everyone's eyes widened, including the other Slytherin's.

A letter arrived at that moment, causing Hermione to jump out of her seat and tune out everyone's questions.

Hermione looked at the seal, confused that Anne was writing to her at home. It was a brief, hastily written letter.

_Lady Elizabeth,_

_I apologize for writing to you at home, but an unforeseen circumstance has taken me by surprise, and I require your help. Please, I beseech you, make haste as you come up to the castle._

_AB_

Hermione read through the letter twice, trying to figure out what could have possibly happened. She downed her tea quickly, and flew up the stairs, dragging her maid with her to help her get changed.

In record time, Hermione was out of the house and on her way to the castle. The whole ride there, she was squirming in her seat in nervous anticipation of what could have happened to force Anne to send that letter. Fifteen minutes later, as the carriage pulled up in front of the castle, Hermione threw open the door before it came to a complete stop and scurried out.

She found Anne waiting for her in the entrance hall, pacing restlessly. "Oh, thank goodness. My letter found you?"

"Yes. What happened?"

Anne started walking away, signaling Hermione to follow. "Something went wrong." She hissed as she cautiously looked around her to make sure no one was listening.

"What do you mean? With the spell?"

"Yes! Last night, I went to the king's chambers to seduce him a little more, tease him. But, what was I to find coming out of his door, but another palace whore?" Anne spat. "It angered me to no end. I didn't even enter his room after that."

Hermione sighed. "Now, don't be upset with me for saying this, but did you honestly expect King Henry to take a vow of celibacy until he was able to marry you?"

"Yes." Anne sniffed. "Hold on, I need to stop by the King's study." She took out a key and unlocked a big, oak door that they had stopped in front of, which had a pure gold doorknob, and the Tudor rose engraved on it. As soon as she opened it however, her eyes darkened and her nostrils flared in anger. Hermione could hear the scraping of a chair and a flurry of activity, but dared not peek into the room.

"Well." Anne's cold voice said. "Isn't this a…surprise." Her voice held such command and iciness that Hermione had ever heard from one other person before: Lord Voldemort.

"Leave us," Henry said. A flustered woman scurried out , trying to smooth her hair and dress down in the process, only too happy to leave. "Anne. My love."

"My love?" Anne scoffed. "My love? You have _betrayed _your love."

"Anne, please, let me explain." King Henry said, sounding less and less like the powerful and commanding king that he truly was with each passing moment.

"Explain what? How you took my heart and tore it to pieces? I have loved no other man like I have loved you, not even Henry Percy."

Anne had said the magic words.

"And you shan't love any other man." King Henry said, hardness in his voice. "You are mine, and mine alone."

"How do I know that you won't betray me again? If you want a son from me, I can't be worried that my husband is with some other woman. Otherwise, the stress will be too much for me _and_ the children that I will soon carry in my womb, to handle." The coldness had left Anne's voice, which was now full of emotion.

"I promise, my love, I will not do anything to hurt you again."

"Good. Now, I must go. I have some family matters to attend to."

Anne bounded out of the room, a triumphant smirk on her face. She turned to face Hermione. "And that, my dear friend, is apparently how it's done."

A/N: Please review! And that letter from Anne was crap but the part of my brain that does the eloquent writing was not working.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Holy Crap, I got 19 reviews for the last chapter! Thank you guys so much! Please, keep it up! : ) And here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 18:

"Under a spell or not, I can't believe that King Henry would take being yelled at by anyone." Hermione said as they locked themselves in Anne's chambers.

Anne smirked. "I wasn't compelling him in any way, you know. He seems to be under my spell in more ways than one."

"Which is probably why you haven't been sent to the Tower yet for your execution."

Anne laughed. "This may be true. But I also think he's becoming ready to be completely rid of Queen Katharine. She was always an obedient wife, ready, or shall I say, _desperate_, to please the king. Now he wants someone else by his side. Someone that can not only please him, but excite him and make it _completely worth his while_."

"And you being abrasive and brash is going to show him that you are completely different from Katharine, and therefore, also completely different from her in that you will bear him a son?" Hermione asked.

"Exactly!" Anne said, pleased.

"I don't know what kind of twisted logic that is, but I'll just accept that for now." Hermione said, almost to herself. "Well, it looks like you didn't need me after all."

"Actually, I do." Anne said. "Now, Cardinal Wolsey is still in Rome, trying to secure a dispensation from the Pope. Even though he was refused once, he's still trying to negotiate. I do not know whether or not I want him to succeed, however. If he were to succeed, I would finally become Queen, although Wolsey would do everything in his power to stop that from happening. I cannot have anything or anyone with that much power over the king to stand in my way. Now, if he were to fail, I would be able to put the Cardinal in his place and ensure that he never speaks to the king again, and we would find another way to get married." Anne stopped for a moment. "I do quite like the second idea. I could replace Cardinal Wolsey with someone I trust and like. Wolsey stopped my marriage to Henry Percy, and although that brought me to where I am today, I still despise him for it."

"I already helped you with the second idea, remember? The idea to break away from the church?"

"Ah yes! I forgot. As of now, I am depending on Wolsey to fail, thanks to dear old Emperor Charles, who's trying to ensure that dear aunty Katharine remains queen. He has control of the Pope. After Wolsey inevitably fails, I shall plant the idea in Henry's head to create his own church, so that we may be married in our own time."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Now, I won't _really _have to worry about any other threats to my future throne. Queen Katharine is getting old and barren, and I know the king will dispose of her, no matter what. Wolsey is stuck in Rome, and I have made sure that the king will not have any more indiscretions. But it never hurts to be safe and have a second spell and potion in case the other ones fail…"

DMHGDMHG

Hermione returned to Carew Manor later that night, exhausted from her lack of sleep the night before. She was immediately bombarded by Harry and Ginny upon her arrival.

"Where have you been?"

"What have you been doing?"

"What did Blaise mean at breakfast?"

"What was in that letter this morning?"

"Why did you rush out of the house?"

Hermione stared at the two with her mouth slightly open, as she watched her two friends taking turns asking these questions without skipping a beat or even pausing to let her answer.

She looked at them for a second longer, took a slight breath as if she were going to say something, but closed her mouth instead before walking past them.

"Hermione!" Ginny said, thoroughly offended that she wasn't spilling her guts.

"Ginevra!" Hermione mimicked, turning around and putting her hands on her hips.

"You didn't answer our questions."

"And I don't plan to, either. So, back off."

Ginny scowled at her and stormed past her into the dining room. Hermione shook her head as she turned to Harry, who was now looking interestedly around the room at anything but her.

"Something I can help you with, Harry?"

"No, nothing. Nothing at all. I'm just going to stand here and look around this room, which is really quite fascinating. Don't you agree?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and made her way to the library, imagining herself plopping down on the armchair in front of the fire and just falling asleep. But, as she entered the room, she found both Malfoy and Blaise sitting in front of the fire. She sighed loudly and turned around to leave, but had alerted the two Slytherins to her presence.

"Oy, Granger!" Blaise called. "Come here, doll."

"Whatever for, Blaisey?" Hermione said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Malfoy looked back and forth between the two, thoroughly confused. "What's with the nicknames?"

"Nothing that concerns you, hubby dear," Hermione said, eyes flashing. "Blaise, can I -,"

She was interrupted by Malfoy, who stood up quickly and grabbed her arm. "We need to talk, Granger."

"No, we really don't."

"Yes, we do." He said firmly, dragging her over to the other side of the library.

Hermione huffed in indignation and crossed her arms over her chest. "What?" She snapped.

"About what you saw the other night -,"

"I don't care, Malfoy."

"I don't know what came over me, but I realize that -,"

"What, Malfoy? That you were a total hypocrite?"

"Look, I know-,"

"I'm waiting."

"JESUS CHRIST, WOMAN, WOULD YOU STOP INTERRUPTING ME AS I'M TRYING TO BLOODY APOLOGIZE TO YOU?" Malfoy exploded.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but paused for a moment, in awe and wonderment. "You were going to apologize?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. Malfoys don't goddamn apologize! And now I actually feel like I need to! Get the hell out of my head, Granger! You've given me a bloody conscience!"

Hermione smirked. "Well, let's hear it, then."

"Look, I realize I was being hypocritical when I basically accused you of cheating on me, when I just did exactly that."

Hermione looked at him expectantly. "And?"

"And…that's it."

"That's it? Malfoy, that is not a real apology."

"What? Yes it is! I just admitted that I was wrong."

"That may be true, but when you apologize, you say, 'I'm sorry', or 'I apologize'."

Malfoy glared at her. "Fine. I- I'm s-s-sorry."

"There now, that wasn't so hard!" Hermione said triumphantly.

"I hate you, Granger."

"Oh, I know you do. Now let's get a couple of things straight. We no longer have to act like a married couple, because honestly, I don't give a damn. You can go snog any woman you like, and I will snog any man I like. Just keep in mind that any woman you snog, like the woman you were with after the ball, is technically older than your grandmother by centuries, and would be rotting away in her grave before you were even born."

With that, Hermione walked away, a smirk still plastered to her face. Malfoy expression morphed into one of disgust and he wiped his mouth on his sleeve repeatedly, as if that was going to erase his actions.

Hermione walked over to Blaise.

"What did you say to him?" Blaise asked in amusement.

"Nothing that wasn't true," Hermione smirked. "Now, we need a plan. We need to act like we're sexually frustrated and want to have sex with each other."

"Well, well, who knew that the bookworm knew about the birds and the bees?"

"It all just comes down to the experience," Hermione said with a straight face, as she sat down on the small coffee table in front of him.

That shocked Blaise into total silence. He stared at her with wide eyes, unable to believe that that comment had come out of Hermione Granger's mouth. "You're JOKING."

Hermione smirked once again, which she seemed to be doing a lot lately. "A lady never kisses and tells. Or in this case…"

"Yes, yes, I get it." Blaise said, shaking his head. "On with the plan."

"We just have to act even more playful with each other, with you whispering things in my ear that are supposed to make me blush. They don't necessarily have to be dirty things – I _am_ a good actress."

"Easy enough. When should we start?"

"How about now? Malfoy is looking at us." Hermione said, leaning in to him seductively as if she were going to whisper in her ear.

"Can do. Hey, I'm looking for some treasure. Can I look around your chest?"

Hermione's eyes widened, but stayed where she was. "Ok, let me clarify. Nothing dirty when we're alone, otherwise I will personally emasculate you. Now if it's in front of Harry or Ron or Malfoy, that's a different story."

Blaise immediately got the picture. "Yes ma'am."

"We should go to dinner. I'll be there in a minute."

He stood up and left the room, apparently with Malfoy in tow, leaving Hermione sitting on the table, staring at one particular shelf in the library. She walked over to it and ran her finger across the spines of each book until one in particular caught her eye. The spine was covered in symbols that looked vaguely familiar. She opened it cautiously to a random page, and was instantly infatuated with what she saw. It was a magical book, full of potions and spells. The page she had opened it to showed a fertility ritual, complete with a potion and a spell. As she flipped the pages, she noticed that the magic in the book wasn't exactly white magic – but it wasn't black magic either. Something about it gave her goosebumps, so she quickly put the book away in the hopes of forgetting all about it.

Hermione made her way to the dining room where everyone was already seated. She made eye contact with Blaise, who was slouching slightly in his seat, one hand outstretched in front of him, and his other elbow resting on the back of his own chair. He looked her up and down and smirked. "You know… that dress you have on would look _great_ in a crumpled heap next to my bed.

"Is that so? Well, I could say the same about those pants." Hermione said, sitting down and looking around the table at the shocked looks on everyone's faces.

"I'm sorry, did I just hear what I think I just heard?" Ginny asked, looking between Hermione and Blaise in confusion.

"The word of the day is 'legs'. What say we go back to you room and spread the word?" Blaise said.

"Actually, I was thinking about going out for a ride."

"Save a horse, ride a cowboy. That's my motto."

"That's one motto I could live by. But…your belt looks extremely tight. Why don't I loosen it for you?"

Blaise jumped up and took Hermione's hand, pulling her upstairs. "Blaise!" Hermione shrieked and giggled as she stumbled up the stairs.

The two disappeared out of sight, to the utter astonishment of their friends.

Ron was the first one to explode. He jumped up out of his seat. "What the FUCK just happened? We have to stop them," he said, his ears getting redder by the second. He made to go after them, but Harry stopped him.

"Ron, you can't."

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?"

"Ron, she's a big girl. She can do whatever she wants."

"No. No. She cannot screw Zabini. He's a Slytherin for Merlin's sake."

"So what?" Ginny said. "They're not all bad."

"Thank you!" Malfoy said triumphantly. "But I agree with Weaselbee. We need to stop them."

"Finally! Someone who's talking sense around here," Ron said, turning to him with a friendly smile. Suddenly, however, the smile was wiped off his face. "Why do you care?"

"It's not that I care, per say. It's just that I know Zabini. He's my best friend. He's bound to screw her once and never speak to her again. And knowing Granger, she probably wouldn't be happy with that."

"Yes, this may be true, but why do you care if Hermione does get left behind by Zabini?" Ron asked, suspiciously.

"It's not that I care about Granger. I care about Blaise. I'm pretty sure Granger will release her wrath on Blaise. And let me tell you, it is not pleasant. I would be doing Blaise an enormous favor, and from then on, he would owe _me_ a _massive_ favor."

"That sounds more like the Malfoy we know and hate," Ginny said, her eyebrow raised. "But you need to leave them alone. Hermione knows what she's doing."

"Ginny, have you gone insane?" Ron asked, his eyes wide.

"Ron, calm down!" Harry yelled. "Look, I know you have feelings for Hermione, but you have to stop this. She's not interested in you in that way, and you have to let her live her own life. You need to move on with your own too. Like I said, she's a big girl, and she knows what she's doing. Now, I'll admit that I've always looked at her like a sister and kind of _asexual_, but honestly, she's a seventeen-year-old girl that has needs. And apparently, Blaise satisfies those needs."

Ron shivered at the image that just flashed into his mind. He knew that they were all speaking reason, and needed to move on with his life, and couldn't be hung up on Hermione when she didn't reciprocate his feelings. "I guess…you guys may… possibly … be right."

"Good." Harry said.

Malfoy scoffed. "And come on, it's Granger! She would never do it. She's like the biggest prude I've ever met."

They all chuckled before abruptly stopping and looking at each other, and launched themselves from the table and raced upstairs.

They all pressed their ears against Hermione's doors, only to hear the sounds they wished they had never heard and wished they could erase from their heads.

**A/N: Please review! One of my guy friends helped me out with the sexual innuendos LOL. : )**


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: I am so so sorry for the long wait. School was super overwhelming and then finals came along before I knew it. But updates should be more frequent in the next couple of weeks! : ) Please read and review!

Chapter 19:

"Oh my God, Blaise!" Hermione moaned as she sat on her bed with Blaise standing in front of her.

"You like that, huh?" Blaise replied, rolling his eyes at the verbal display the two were putting on for their friends.

"Oh YES!" Hermione said, giggling. "Quick, tickle me," Hermione whispered.

"What, why?"

"It'll make it sound a little more authentic. I'm a little bit squeamish, so I'll start giggling like crazy."

Blaise shrugged and launched himself at her, tickling her waist and poking at her sides. Hermione did indeed start giggling and squealed. "Blaise!"

On the other side of the door, four ears were pressed to the door, the eyes of their respective owners widening in shock. Harry was the first one to pull away. "I can't do this, guys. Hermione's like my sister. If she really is…you know…then we need to give her her space."

"Harry, you're right." Ron said, pulling away from the door. "As much as I don't like it."

"Screw that," Ginny replied. "I can't believe Hermione's getting some! I wonder if she's done it before."

"She has." Harry said abruptly.

"Bullshit." Malfoy immediately said.

"Nope."

"What?" Ginny shrieked. "AND SHE DIDN'T TELL ME?"

The noises coming from the room abruptly stopped. The door opened, revealing Blaise with his shirt off and Hermione with her hair tousled and her cheeks flushed.

Hermione stared at them with raised eyebrows, and crossed her arms over her chest. "What the hell are you guys doing out here?"

Ron chuckled nervously. Having been on the receiving end of Hermione's glares and anger _many _times, he instantly regretted coming upstairs. "N-nothing, Hermione. We were all just walking upstairs to, erm, retire for the evening, and we happened to be passing by…"

Hermione scoffed in disbelief. "Don't give me that bullshit, Ronald."

Harry immediately decided to jump to his defense. "It's true, Mione. We've actually been doing research all day for ways to get home, but it's been exhausting."

Hermione stared into Harry's eyes for what seemed like forever. "You're lying."

"What?" Harry said in disbelief.

"How the hell does she do it?" Ron shook his head.

"Do what?" Malfoy asked, thoroughly confused.

"She has this scary ability to tell if you're lying or not. She just looks into your eyes and can tell just like that. It's like a sixth sense."

"Oh, come on. You guys are just crappy liars." Malfoy scoffed.

"Try me." Hermione said.

"I will, but you'll get it when you least expect it. Just something I'll throw into random conversation."

"Fine. Now back to the matter at hand. Why the hell were you perverts trying to listen to us through the door?"

The offenders all looked at each other, refusing to volunteer to tell her.

Finally, Ginny stepped up. "We wanted to see if you were actually going to sleep with Blaise. I'm sorry, Hermione. We should have given you your space."

"My, ahem, _personal_ life is none of your concern. If I want to have sex with Blaise, I will have sex with Blaise."

Looks of disgust crossed over all three of the other guys' faces.

"Fair enough." Ginny said reasonably.

"Now will you guys please leave?" Hermione asked, expectantly.

"Yes, of course. No problem." Harry said, shoving Malfoy and Ron down the stairs, unwilling to deal with this situation for any longer than necessary.

Blaise and Hermione stayed standing in the doorway, watching them as they left.

"You know," Blaise said slyly, "it was pretty hot the way you were moanin' and groaning in there."

Hermione rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the stomach before walking away as well.

DMHGDMHGDMHG

The next day brought sunshine and warmth, putting everyone in an especially good mood. The king was eager to take advantage of the beautiful weather by holding a jousting tournament – which was basically just another opportunity for the men to show off. Malfoy, being one of the king's closest friends, was to participate in this tournament, along with King Henry himself and a couple of other close friends.

The group found their way to the stands that lined three sides of the field and sat down in the front row on one of the long sides of the field. The crowd quickly filled in, chattering away in anticipation of the day's matches.

The first match was the King and Malfoy. The king rode up to the queen, who was also in attendance to show the world her strength and keep up her public image as the king's _wife_. She was still determined to prove that she was the ideal wife – the epitome of elegance, grace, and devotion.

The King presented his lance to her, his face betraying nothing. "My lady," he said, bowing his head.

Katharine of Aragon smiled slightly and nodded her head once in respect, before standing up and tying her handkerchief around the lance. Malfoy sat still on his horse, watching the exchange somewhat impatiently, ready for the match to start.

As the king turned around, he looked at Malfoy, a smirk on his face. "Nicholas, my dear friend! What, no lucky woman is willing to let you fight for her honor? Probably a good decision on her part actually, because _you_ are going to _lose _this match," King Henry said mockingly.

Malfoy took it all in stride. "You, my friend, are much too arrogant for your own good. And I'm willing to wager that any woman in this crowd would gladly give me her handkerchief." This last comment was not a stretch of the imagination by any means – many of the women in the stands fluttered their eyelashes and patted down their hair in the hopes of gaining Malfoy's notice. Some even put up their handkerchiefs as well, causing him to throw a triumphant smirk in the king's direction. "But, seeing as I'm an honorable man, I think I'll ask my lovely _wife_ for her token of honor." This caused a flurry of disappointment among the crowd.

Malfoy rode over to Hermione, his face completely blank. Hermione stood up and tied her handkerchief to the lance just as the queen had done, not breaking eye contact. He stared at her for a moment longer before turning around and taking his position on one side of the tilt, which was the barrier that cut the field in half. The two men put on their helmets and leaned forward slightly, ready to spur on their horses at the start signal.

The trumpet sounded and the horses started galloping towards each other, each staying on their respective side of the tilt. The aim being to knock the other off his horse rather than kill him, each man stuck out his lance, aiming for the torso, which was covered in protective armor.

Both missed each other the first few times, frustrating the audience members, who all wanted to see bloodshed. The fourth time around however, the king's lance made contact with Malfoy's shoulder, knocking him off his horse.

The crowd cheered for their king, as did Harry and Ron, who were glad to see Malfoy knocked off his high horse – this time in the literal sense. Hermione watched, waiting for Malfoy to stand up and brush the dirt off his clothes, but only saw him flinch in pain and clutch his left shoulder.

"Nicholas!" Hermione yelled and stood up.

Alerted by Hermione's yell, the king turned around to find Malfoy still on the ground. He scrambled to dismount his horse and ran over to him. Blaise jumped over the barricades of the stands and helped Hermione over before they both ran over as well.

It seemed that the lance had pierced Malfoy's shoulder deeply, as blood was flooding steadily from the wound, seeping not only onto the ground, but also down the length of his clothes. Hermione knelt down beside him and looked around for something to clean the blood up with. She spotted the lance with her handkerchief around it and quickly untied it and pressed it to the wound. Malfoy hissed in pain and glared at her. "Jesus Christ woman, is that really necessary?"

"Yes! I have to put pressure on the wound so you don't bleed to death." Hermione said, pressing even harder.

"Let's move him inside," King Henry suggested, a look of concern on his face. He beckoned two of his men to carry Malfoy away. "Call for the court physician," he told one of the men, who just nodded. King Henry turned to Hermione. "I'll be in soon to check on him. I need to carry on with the tournament – we can't exactly disappoint the audience now can we?"

"Of course not, Your Majesty. But a physician isn't necessary."

"What do you mean, woman? Can't you see that I'm _bleeding? _And _in pain_?" Malfoy groaned.

"What I mean to say is that I can take care of it myself. I am very knowledgeable about healing."

"Nonsense! Let the court physician look at the wound first, and then if you must, you can do whatever magic you do to help your husband."

The word "magic" had caused a deep intake of breath from both Hermione and Malfoy, which thankfully, the king hadn't noticed.

"If you insist, Your Majesty." Hermione replied, knowing it would be futile to argue with him.

"I do. Now go with your husband. I assure you that he will be looked after properly."

Hermione nodded and followed the King's men that were carrying Malfoy off the field, beckoning to Blaise and the others as she did so. Harry, Ron, and Ginny followed behind them reluctantly, chuckling at the memory of seeing their arch-nemesis in pain.

Malfoy was carried into an empty bedchamber and set down onto the bed. "Take off your shirt. Your clothes are soaked with blood." Hermione said as she came over and sat next to him, pressing the handkerchief once again to his wound.

Malfoy did as he was told. Ginny eyed his toned torso with interest, and looked at Hermione to see if she had noticed. If she had, Hermione's face betrayed nothing. She turned to Blaise, Harry, Ron, and Ginny. "Why don't you all take the carriage home? I'll send you a letter and let you know what's going on." The four of them obeyed instantly.

Once the king's men were gone as well, Hermione turned to Malfoy. "You idiot!" Hermione said, smacking his stomach.

Malfoy groaned in pain and glared at her. "What the hell, Granger?"

"I could have healed the wound with magic, you idiot! Now that you've insisted on a real Muggle doctor, I can't really do that now can I?"

"Well you can still heal me and we can just tell him that I'm a quick healer."

Hermione threw him a condescending look. "It won't work. The wound's too deep. Now you can just let the doctor stitch the wound up."

"Stitch the wound? As in the Muggle way? With a needle and thread?" Malfoy gulped.

"Yes."

"Shit."

"You brought this on yourself." Hermione turned around to speak with the others, but was startled by the sight of a tall, brown-haired man walking into the room. It was clear that he was a gentleman by the way he was dressed and the way he carried himself. He had dark brown hair and green eyes, with a strong, square jaw. "Ah, John Chambres!"

"It is a pleasure to see you again Lady Carew." He bowed and kissed her hand.

"Likewise." Hermione curtsied in reply.

"Now what seems to be the problem?"

"Ah, the oversized baby on the bed." Hermione said as she pointed to Malfoy.

Chambres chuckled as he went over to the bed and inspected Malfoy's wound. "Baby? Come now, give the man _some _credit. He _was_ just pierced in the shoulder and pushed off a horse."

"Yes, but the way that a man handles pain says a lot about his character. My husband, for example, does nothing but whine and complain about the pain like a little girl. Now if you compare him with let us say, Charles Brandon, _he_ knows how to handle pain. He's so manly and strong and rugged."

"First of all, did you just call me a girl?" Malfoy asked, thoroughly offended. "And second, did you just express some sort of affection or lust for Charles Brandon, who might I add, is _not your husband_?"

"Yes to the first. No to the second. I was merely pointing out the contrast between the two of you. Although he is quite a handsome fellow. Charming, too. I bet he would be a _fantastic_ lover."

Chambres listened to them with amusement, as Hermione very nearly emasculated Draco with her comments and ripped his dignity to shreds. Draco was fuming at this very point and had to be held still as the physician cleaned and treated his wounds. "How long have you been married?" Chambres asked.

"Too long, apparently." Malfoy said, glaring at Hermione.

"I think that's the one thing we can actually agree on." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"Really? Hmm." Chambres said.

"What?" Malfoy asked, suspiciously.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Really, tell us." Hermione said.

"Well, you see, I can read people very well. As a physician, it is my job to know what their bodies are saying, whether by body language or by wounds such as this. And to me, it seems like you two want nothing more but to rip each others' clothes off."

A/N: **Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

"Rip each other's clothes off?" Hermione muttered angrily to herself. "Yeah right. More like want to rip him to pieces."

Hermione paced the length of the bedroom that the invalid Malfoy was currently confined to by the King himself. It must have been past midnight, but Hermione couldn't sleep for one reason or another and it was expected that she look after her "husband."

"Granger."

"What?" Hermione snapped.

"You're making it really hard for me to sleep, you know that? What with you muttering to yourself and pacing like a lunatic and whatnot," Malfoy said as he lay on his back, slightly raised by the pillows, with his eyes narrowed at her.

"Well, sucks for you, doesn't it?"

"Now, now, Granger, is that anyway to talk to your husband?"

"I told you Malfoy - we no longer have to act like a happily married couple. If it weren't for the fact that the king basically locked me in here with you, I would be long gone."

"Gee, thanks. It's nice to know I can count on you when I'm in need." Malfoy replied sardonically, rolling his eyes. "Seriously though, stop pacing. You're giving me a headache."

"Even better." Hermione said.

"Mature, Granger. Real mature."

Hermione sighed and sat down in the armchair near the fireplace. "Go to bed Malfoy and just leave me alone."

"No one tells me what to do, Granger."

"For the love of God! Just suck up your stupid pride and get some rest, ok? I'm sick of dealing with you."

Malfoy sneered and surprisingly did as he was told. Hermione curled up in the chair as best she could, what with her corset making things a little difficult. Soon, however, she drifted into a dreamless sleep…

DMHGDMHG

What seemed like only minutes later, Hermione woke to groans of pain coming from the bed. She rolled her eyes, but got up to check on Malfoy, who was shivering terribly and whose head was thrashing from side to side.

"Malfoy?" Hermione hesitantly shook him. "Malfoy? Are you alright?" She shook him harder, until he finally opened his eyes.

"G-g-granger? W-w-why is it s-s-s-so c-cold i-in here?" Malfoy stuttered

"Malfoy, it's not cold in here. What are you talking about?" Hermione asked in genuine concern.

"I-it's f-f-f-freezing."

She brought the blankets on the bed over him, trying to create a cocoon of warmth around him. "Better?"

"N-no."

"Ok, let's get you in front of the fire then – hopefully that will get you warmed up."

Malfoy tried to sit up. "I-it hurts too m-much."

"Come on Malfoy. Don't you want to feel warm?"

He nodded as he lay back down. Hermione reached over to feel his forehead and noted that his body temperature was slowly increasing. "Come on Malfoy, just lean on me," Hermione said as she put one of his arms around her shoulders and held him around the waist, helping him to his feet and dragging the comforter and pillow with her. She gently let go of him and helped him to the ground in front of the fireplace, where he automatically collapsed in pain and exhaustion.

Hermione was at a loss for what to do. She couldn't just cast a spell to heal him – she needed to make a potion or a mixture of herbs for him to ingest. Healing was a physical process, and therefore, the spells needed physical reinforcement as well.

It was too late in the night to send a messenger to the manor and inform her friends of what was going on, or to even send for a carriage. She sat back down on the armchair and hoped that his condition wouldn't worsen as the night progressed. Without knowing what the condition was, it was possible that it could be fatal, and even the albino ferret didn't deserve that. She sat in the armchair in silence, thinking about the possible diseases and causes that could be afflicting Malfoy, not taking her eyes off of her faux husband for even a second.

DMHGDMHG

When morning finally arrived, Hermione noticed that Malfoy was sweating profusely. She put her hand to his forehead once again, and her eyes widened when she felt how much he was burning up.

Malfoy woke with a start, gasping for air, almost as if he had just been saved from drowning in a pool.

"Malfoy, what's wrong?"

"Ch-chest h-hurts."

She ran out into the hallway to look for a messenger, but instead found Charles Brandon walking in her direction.

"Sir Brandon!"

"Lady Elizabeth. I trust you're doing well. And how's Nicholas? I'm sure his pride was wounded more that his body was." He asked, bowing as he chuckled.

"In any other case that might be true. However, he's incredibly sick. I don't know what to do. He's been in pain all night." Hermione said urgently.

"What? Where is he?" Brandon asked.

"Right in there. His body temperature is getting higher by the minute, and he has no strength whatsoever."

"Oh no." Brandon said, his face turning pale as he examined Malfoy.

"What? What is it?" Hermione asked fearfully.

"It looks like the sweating sickness. What were his symptoms last night?"

"He was really cold and was shivering a lot. His whole body seemed to be in pain."

Brandon nodded. "This sickness has been seen before in London, and I'm afraid this won't end well. We need to get him out of the castle. You know how the king becomes when it comes to illness – his health cannot be sacrificed in any way until he has produced a male heir."

"Yes, yes, I know. I wanted to take him home, but it was too late in the night and no one was around to help me send home for a carriage."

"I have mine here. You can use that."

"Oh we couldn't -,"

"Take it," Charles Brandon insisted. "He's my friend too. I wouldn't want him to die. Do you need me to send for the physician?"

"No, we have one that lives close to the manor," Hermione lied.

Brandon picked Malfoy's body up from where it lay next to the fire and hurried outside, Hermione scurrying after him. He set Malfoy down in the carriage and gave his driver instructions to take them to Carew Manor.

He turned to Hermione. "You'll be alright?"

Hermione nodded. "Thank you. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"Just do whatever it takes to bring him back to full health."

"I will."

Brandon bowed and kissed Hermione's hand. "Good luck." He helped her up into the carriage.

Hermione smiled worriedly as he closed the carriage doors.

DMHGDMHG

As soon as the carriage reached Carew Manor, she jumped out and ordered the driver to wait. She ran up to the house, nearly knocked over the maid who answered the door, and rushed out to the gardens where Blaise, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were enjoying their breakfast.

"Blaise, come quickly." Hermione said, out of breath.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry asked in concern.

"It's Malfoy. He's unconscious in the carriage outside. Blaise, I need you to carry him up to the master bedroom. He has the sweating sickness, which can be extremely fatal."

Blaise nodded determinedly. "Potter, I might need your help."

Harry nodded in consent and followed him to the carriage.

"Mione, what happened?" Ginny asked. "Everything was fine yesterday."

"I don't know. The king came in to check on him and locked me in the room with Malfoy, so I was stuck taking care of him. I fell asleep and all of a sudden I heard Malfoy groaning from the bed. He looked like he was in absolute pain."

"But how could he have caught this sickness?"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe his wound got infected before the physician showed up? Or he must have been exposed to someone else who had it."

Hermione turned around and saw Harry at Malfoy's legs and Blaise at Malfoy's shoulders as they slowly made their way up the stairs. "I'll be up in a second."

"Jane," Hermione called for her maid. "I need ice, please. And some clean washcloths and a bucket of cold water. Bring them up to the master bedroom immediately."

She and Ginny went upstairs to join the boys and explain what was happening.

"What are you going to do?" Blaise asked. "You _can_ do something, right?"

"I need to find some herbs and make a potion and write a spell to heal him."

"Why do you need a potion? If you word the spell correctly and precisely…"

"The spell would still need physical reinforcement. A doctor can't just say, 'You're healed,' and let it be. You need potions or medicines of some sort to do the actual healing. Remember, magic is still developing in this time. I know Healers in our time do have spells and things that can heal someone in a matter of seconds, but they still prefer to administer a potion along with it as a precaution."

Blaise nodded in understanding.

"Ok, I need you and Ginny to keep pressing wet cloths to Malfoy's forehead to keep him from overheating. Harry and Ron, we need to do some research. Hopefully this doesn't take too long."

Ginny gave Hermione a sympathetic smile. "You go do what you do best. We'll take care of him."

As Hermione scurried down the stairs, she heard Harry and Ron muttering quietly under their breaths. She turned and waited, expectantly. "What is it?"

The two boys hesitated.

"Well, I'm waiting."

"Hermione, it's just, why are you in such a hurry to heal him? Why don't you just let him suffer a little bit? It is the Mal-ferret after all." Ron said.

"Ronald Billius Weasley! That is absolutely despicable! First of all, no one deserves to be in as much pain as he seems to be. And secondly, this disease is notorious for killing its victims within the first twenty-four hours! I'd personally rather not have someone else's death on my hands, thank you very much." Hermione yelled at him.

That sufficiently rendered Ron speechless. Hermione spun on her heel and made her way to the library. "Just look for anything on healing spells and potions. I can tweak anything to become more specific to our case."

The two nodded, afraid to say anything else to incur Hermione's wrath, and set to work.

DMHGDMHG

"Ok, I found something. We need common rue, butterbur, blessed thistle, some nettle, and some sorrel. Rue is a very powerful healing herb and can also be extremely poisonous, so we need to use very small quantities and mix it with butterbur and blessed thistle. Sorrel will get rid of the fever, and nettle will make sure that he is completely healed."

Harry and Ron stopped their searching. "What next?"

"We need to find the herbs and write a spell. I have part of one already – I was thinking about it last night when I was watching over Malfoy. But where are we going to get these damn herbs?"

"You have them in this very house." Ron said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" Hermione asked, thoroughly confused.

"Didn't you know about the herb cabinet on the other side of this bookshelf?" Harry asked, pulling the bookshelf directly adjacent to the library doors away from the wall easily as well as carefully, so as not to disturb the books that rest on that particular shelf. True to the boys' words, there was indeed shelf upon shelf filled and labeled with jars of magical herbs.

"But… how…?" Hermione asked in awe.

Harry and Ron shrugged. "We were bored a few days ago and happened to stumble upon it." Harry said.

"John Whiting, I'm guessing?" Hermione wondered allowed. "But whatever happened to him?"

"Who?" Ron asked.

"Oh, you didn't meet him. He was sort of a mentor when Malfoy and I first arrived here. He taught us about magic and everything we needed to know about this time period."

Hermione grabbed what she needed and set to preparing the potion. Thankfully it was relatively simple, and would only take fifteen minutes to brew. As she crushed and added each herb to the mixture, she finished the spell that would hopefully heal Malfoy.

Fifteen minutes later, with Harry and Ron being more of a nuisance than actual help, Hermione transferred the potion to a goblet and ran upstairs with the goblet and the spell in her hands.

She walked in to find Blaise pressing a damp cloth to Malfoy's forehead, a look of worry on his face. "Did you find something?"

Hermione nodded. "I hope so. I need all of you to wait outside and give us some space."

Blaise nodded in response, and handed her the cloth he had been pressing to Malfoy's forehead. "Good luck." He said before leaving the room and shutting the door firmly behind him.

"Malfoy?" Hermione said softly, shaking him to wake him up.

"Wha-? Who?"

"Malfoy, it's me, Granger." Hermione said slowly.

"You're p-pretty."

"What?"

"B-beautiful. Kind. Smart." He mumbled.

"You are delusional. I do believe that is one of the symptoms."

"I'm dying, aren't I?"

"Hopefully not." Hermione said, gently. "I have something that might be able to heal you. Come on, try and sit up. Drink this." She tipped up Malfoy's chin and put the goblet to his mouth, urging him to swallow what was sure to be a vile concoction.

As soon as he downed half of it, Hermione read out the spell: "_Thistle, nettle, sorrel, and rue; Together, the damage they will undo, And bring he who ails upon this bed, Health and healing in this disease's stead."_

Hermione reached over to feel Malfoy's forehead. She was relieved to find that his fever seemed to have broken, and his breathing was normal. His eyes fluttered open.

"How're you feeling, Malfoy?"

"Better. Loads better. Although, I'm exhausted. And starving."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'll get them to bring up some food for you. Get some rest, Malfoy. It's been an exhausting twenty-four hours." She left the goblet on the bedside table, and turned to leave Malfoy to sleep.

"Granger." Malfoy said, stopping her in her tracks.

She turned around in response.

"Thank you."

A/N: I wasn't really happy with this, but I did promise a faster update …Please review!


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: So, I've decided that I've been working on this story for too damn long – and as much as I love it, I want to finish it and work on something else. So hopefully I can get this done soon. The story should be moving faster from now on. Oh and thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I would have replied individually but either my computer or the website itself was being weird.**

Chapter 21:

The week following Malfoy's recovery was peculiar for the Gryffindors. Malfoy was being civil to them – and needless to say, it was freaking them out. Even Hermione, although not entirely surprised by this change in behavior, was still having trouble becoming accustomed to it. Although, she hadn't actually had a _real _conversation with Malfoy since then - he had just been refraining from the usual insults and was being polite, doing things like holding doors open for them and such.

Ginny was also acting weird, avoiding Hermione and looking guilty whenever she did happen to talk to her. She could also be seen conferring with Blaise a lot, whispering secretly in a corner as Ron shot them dirty looks and Harry looked at them with longing in his eyes.

One day however, Hermione cornered Ginny in her bedroom. "What's going on, Gin? Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not _avoiding_ you Mione."

"Bullshit."

"Did a curse word just come out of Hermione Granger's mouth? What would McGonagall say?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Out with it."

"Ok, fine." Ginny paused and took a deep breath. "When Zabini and I were taking care of Malfoy… he may or may not have said some questionable things…"

"Who? Malfoy or Zabini?"

"Malfoy."

"Go on."

"Well, he said your name for starters…"

"He said my name? Well that's not surprising – I _had_ been looking after him the whole night."

"No, Hermione. He said your first name. Not Granger. He said, 'Hermione'."

"I still don't see what the big deal is, Ginevra," Hermione said, quickly losing patience.

"Well then he kind of mumbled incoherently and said your name again, followed by the words 'love', 'beautiful', and 'amazing'. And he said something about crumbs or something… I'm not entirely sure about that last one. It was a little peculiar." Ginny said, drifting off into her thoughts.

"Ginny, I still don't understand what's the big deal."

"Good grief, woman. I thought you were smart." Ginny said, exasperatedly. "I'm pretty sure that Malfoy has _feelings_ for you."

"Ha, I don't think so." Hermione said, laughing. "First of all, that is ridiculous. Second of all, Malfoy was incredibly sick! One of the symptoms of the sweating sickness is having delusions. He said some things to me to when I went in to give him the potion. He was obviously not in his right mind."

"Fine. Don't believe me. But when you two get together, I'll be the one to tell you, 'I told you so.'"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Gin." She went downstairs in search of the slightly more sane people in the house, although with Harry and Ron, even that was a bit of a stretch.

Just moments after Hermione left the room, Blaise entered. "What happened?"

"I tried to tell her that Malfoy has feelings for her but she didn't believe me."

"Well, did you really expect her to?"

"Kind of… I mean they did have a really hot snog the day we arrived."

"Wait, seriously? I always suspected something, but I never really imagined…" Blaise said in awe.

Ginny nodded in confirmation. "I think we need to help them along a little bit."

"Well, I might have already started on that." Blaise said, a smirk on his face.

Ginny looked at him, confused. "Spill, Zabini."

"Well, remember that day that Granger and I locked ourselves in her room?"

"And proceeded on to a hot shag?" Ginny asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well, we didn't exactly shag. It was kind of just a show to get back at Malfoy and I figured he would get jealous."

Ginny's eyes widened. "I _knew_ you guys wouldn't actually do it!"

"Just don't tell your brother and Potter. We kind of wanted to mess with them too."

"Oh, I won't." Ginny said, smirking. "But why did you two try and make Malfoy jealous when you didn't actually know for sure if he did have feelings for her?"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Let's just say that there's a very fine line between love and hate. If you heard how much Malfoy complained about Granger at school, you'd think he was obsessed with her."

Ginny nodded. "Now what else can we do to help those stubborn idiots along…?"

DMHGDMHG

As Hermione walked down the stairs, she was intercepted by Jane, the maid. "A letter for you, ma'am."

"Thank you, Jane," Hermione said taking the letter from her and dismissing her before running to the library to open it.

_Dear Lady Elizabeth,_

_I apologize profusely for my lack of correspondence in the last fortnight. I was bedridden by the sweating sickness, and of course, the king would not come within even five feet of me. It seems magic and potions can only do so much for a man's affections. I was even sent back to my home at Hever to prevent the spread of my illness to anyone, especially the king. I was fortunate however, to have recovered from this deadly illness with the help of some herbal supplements and a spell, of course. I am now in perfect health, and these last two weeks have convinced me that it is time for us to take the next step. I am worried that this time away from Court might have lessened Henry's affections for me. Therefore, I must consummate my relationship with the king. It has occurred to me that should I come to bear his child, the king might be even more willing to denounce the Church, and make me his queen._

_As it is, I shall not act until I have conferred with you in person. Meet me at the palace tomorrow morning. Everyone will be at Mass, and we shall have our privacy while we discuss these matters._

_Your friend,_

_AB_

Hermione ripped up the letter and threw the pieces into the fire. As she did so, she heard the library doors creak open and turned around to find Malfoy walking in.

"Granger."

"Malfoy," she acknowledged.

They both stood there awkwardly.

Malfoy cleared his throat. "Er, Blaise said he left a book in here that he had been reading."

Hermione nodded and watched as he walked over the table that was off to the side and rearranged the books on top of it in order to search for the one he was looking for.

"Found it." Malfoy said, and headed for the door to leave.

But then he stopped. "Granger," he said, turning around. "We never really talked after that day that you healed me."

"Well, it's not like we actually have civil conversations, Malfoy."

Malfoy was quiet for a minute. "You saved my life."

"It was nothing." Hermione said.

"It was _something_. You didn't have to do that. You didn't have to save my fucking life. I've been nothing but cruel to you for the past six years." Malfoy said quietly.

"Malfoy, no matter what you did or didn't do, someone's life was at stake. How much I hated you in the past doesn't justify letting you die."

"Hated? In the past?" Malfoy asked hopefully.

"I don't loathe you like I used to. But that's not to say that I don't _dislike _you."

Malfoy nodded.

"I know you're a good person, Malfoy. Somewhere, _incredibly_ deep inside." Malfoy cracked a small smile. "Which is why, I'm sure Blaise, whom I actually like, was so worried about you. And honestly, I can't hate you anymore for your views on things like blood purity. Because, I've come to realize that you can't help it. Your whole family believes in it and I'm sure your family was preaching their ideals to you while you were still in the womb. But that doesn't mean there isn't some good inside of you that isn't worth saving."

With that, Hermione left Malfoy in the library, alone with his thoughts.

_Goddammit! Why did she have to be a fucking saint? That bloody Gryffindor is going to be the death of me, _Malfoy thought. _Why did she have to be so damn perfect and have to go ahead and save my life, when she could have just let me die in peace? And why did I let her annoying self get through to me, so that I now actually think the wench is a good human being, one of the few people that is actually deserving of having magical abilities? She's the only one that could ever keep up with me whenever we had a conversation – despite the fact that most of our conversations have been us throwing insults at each other. But she _is_ the most attractive beaver I've ever seen. _Malfoy tried to shake those thoughts from his head. _It's those bloody dresses that she wears everyday that hug those curves… And the way that her hair grazes her –_

"Malfoy," Hermione interrupted, as she had just returned to the library. "I forgot to ask you something. Ginny told me something interesting – words that you were mumbling while you were sick. You wouldn't happen to remember what you were dreaming about or seeing?"

All of the blood drained from Malfoy's face. "No I don't. Sorry."

Hermione shrugged and left once again.

Malfoy put his head in his hands. _Of course I remember. How could I fucking forget? I was dreaming about her, for Merlin's sake. And now, I can't seem to get her out of my fucking head._

DMHGDMHG

The next morning, a knock sounded on the front door of the Manor, just as Hermione was getting ready to leave for the palace. Hermione opened the door, not expecting to see the face of the very elusive John Whiting on the other side.

"Sir Whiting!" Hermione said in shock. "What are you doing here? And where have you been?"

"Ms. Granger, it is wonderful to see you again." He said with a smile on his face. "How is life in the sixteenth century treating you?"

"Well, we're managing. And as you can see, we have yet to find a way back to our time."

"Ah yes, well, when it's time, all the answers you seek will find you," Whiting said somewhat cryptically.

Hermione nodded slowly, looking at him weirdly. "Please come in. I assume you'll be staying here?"

"Yes, if that is alright with you and your husband," he said with a mischievous smile. "How is dear Mr. Malfoy anyway?"

"Well, still the object of my utter distaste, but not as bad as before."

"Oh," Whiting replied, looking somewhat dejected.

"He's in the library. I'm sure he can introduce you to the others."

"Others?"

"Yes, a few of our friends from our time ended up here as well. Actually, they came looking for us."

"Ah."

"Well, I need to get to the palace. I bid you good day, Sir Whiting." Hermione curtsied, smiling brilliantly at him.

He bowed in return. "Likewise, Ms. Granger."

As Hermione stepped outside and closed the door behind her, Whiting shook his head. "This is terrible, just terrible. We're behind. I need to fix this."

DMHGMDHG

As Hermione stepped into the palace, she noticed the unusual quiet that surrounded her. The palace was usually a hub of activity, which she sometimes enjoyed, but was glad for the lack of prying eyes at that moment. Everyone had just stepped into Mass, so she had about an hour to talk to Anne.

She made her way to Anne's chambers as she had done many a time, making sure that the few stragglers that were still around didn't notice her.

"How are you, Lady Elizabeth?" Anne asked, ushering her inside.

"Well. And yourself?"

"Wonderful." Anne said, beaming at her.

Hermione turned around to look at her. That was when she noticed the sparkling red ruby that rested on Anne's slender neck, in place of the one she normally wore, which was a choker with a large 'B' attached to it. "New necklace?"

Anne nodded, a smirk on her face. "A gift…from the king. As was this dress."

"Looks like the king didn't forget about you after all."

"No. But I still don't want to chance it. If I bear the king's child, I am guaranteed to become his queen. I must consummate my relationship with him." Anne said determinedly. "Tonight."

"What about Queen Katharine?"

"Henry knows that her presence upsets me. She is to be removed from court _very_ soon. But do I have your agreement that this is the step I must take with the king?" Anne asked.

"Yes."

"Good." Anne said triumphantly. "Now I need your help with a fertility potion and ritual."

**A/N: Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

_Elizabeth,_

_The deed is done. I have given myself wholly to the king – as his wife. I apologize for my lack of correspondence in recent weeks, but the king had wished to travel to Calais to speak with King Francois and gain some support for our impending marriage. We married in a secret ceremony on the journey back to England, and consummated our marriage. Wolsey's efforts in Rome have proved to be ineffective and the king is becoming more and more restless with each passing day. It is only a matter of time before the king fully rejects the authority of the Pope and the Catholic Church so that I may be recognized legitimately as his wife. Queen Katharine has naturally been banished from court, and I finally feel that my position beside the king is secure. _

_Alas, the purpose of this letter is not to discuss these matters; rather, it is to issue __an invitation. The king has agreed to hold another ball at the palace in honor of my family and myself. As you know, I am now officially, Anne Boleyn, Marquess of Pembroke. My father has also been named the Earl of Wiltshire, and a cousin of mine has been named Earl of Ormond._

_I shall know if I am with child within the next fortnight. Until then, I must keep repeating the fertility ritual._

_As I said before, your presence is expected tonight at the ball, as is your husband's. _

_AB_

Hermione read through the letter twice before tossing it into the fire, as she had done many times before. She thought back to the fertility ritual Anne had mentioned in the letter, and which she had been asked to take part in because the power of two is always greater than the power of one.

_FLASHBACK_

_They had drawn a pentagram on the floor, and lit candles at each of the five points. Each of the herbs that they had used for a fertility potion – agarics, banana, poppy, and pachouly – were sprinkled on the outline of the pentagram. Anne had then drawn some symbols around the pentagram, the meanings of which Hermione was completely unfamiliar with. Although they did __**look**__ familiar…_

_Anne and Hermione stood in the center of the circle, facing each other and holding hands. Anne quickly downed the potion she had made and they repeatedly chanted a spell in a language that was also completely foreign to Hermione – it seemed to be a mix of Latin, Greek, German, and Italian. With each repetition of the chant, Hermione could feel her strength and energy slowly leaving her. Suddenly, she found herself collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath, the lights of the candles snuffed out. She could hardly move; each of her limbs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. _

_Slowly, Hermione started to regain movement. She stood up, dusting herself off, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Looking around, she saw nothing out of place but Anne still on the floor, clutching her stomach in pain._

"_Anne!" Hermione exclaimed, kneeling down next to her. "Are you alright?"_

_Anne nodded and flinched in pain. "I think it worked. We shall know soon enough." _

_Hermione nodded in response._

"_I hear someone coming!" Anne said in alarm. "You must go!" _

_DMHGDMHG_

The fertility ritual had given Hermione a bad feeling. The amount of magic that had had to be used was cause for her concern – as was the fact that Anne seemed to be in a lot of pain after they had finished the ritual.

Some of the symbols that Anne had drawn around the pentagram had looked familiar as well, and her own inability to place them was eating at Hermione more than anything. So of course, she did the one thing she knew how to do very well – tear apart the library.

Hermione threw open the library doors, on a mission. But then she stopped, looking around her, suddenly overwhelmed at the task at hand. There were hundreds of books in that room alone, and any one of them could have what she was looking for.

She started walking around the room, her eyes skimming the contents of each shelf, trying to get a feel, or a reminder of what had triggered that bad feeling. But all she saw were family histories, books of poetry, and a few novels.

Hermione decided to change her route and go the opposite direction. Suddenly, she remembered one specific shelf – the one with the hidden herb cabinet. It seemed completely logical that the shelves that hid the magical herbs would also hold the magical books. And of course, being the bookworm that she was, she immediately spotted the book she was looking for.

She hungrily grabbed the book from its resting place and whipped it open, flipping through the pages with lightning speed and nearly tearing some of the pages in her haste. But finally she stopped and instantly became engrossed in what the book had to say:

_The Wiccan Fertility ritual is one of few rituals that has the true ability to increase the possibility of a woman bearing a child. Many other fertility rituals may be seen throughout history, whether it be to increase a woman's fertility or to increase the crop yield during harvest, but these have no real power or consequence. The Wiccan ritual not only requires an extraordinary amount of magic, but is the source of such magic as well. As such, this ritual should only be performed once by a single person. Consistent repetition of the ritual may cause severe damage to the body, along with more unforeseen consequences should a child actually be conceived._

_Although not necessarily dark magic, it is also not considered to be white magic, and as mentioned above, may have serious consequences. Many will try to use this ritual in conjunction with another – one to manipulate the sex of the fetus. This should be avoided at all costs, as the combination of the different magic used in each ritual can be fatal, no matter the interval of time between performing each. _

Hermione stopped reading. She had never heard of this second ritual to determine the sex of the baby. But she knew Anne, and she could guarantee that Anne would have already found it or stop at nothing to find it. The pressure to produce a son, an heir to the throne, was already getting to Anne. It was her youth and the possibility of a son that had King Henry now so eager to dispose of his wife. But needless to say, Anne would do whatever she could - no matter the cost - to keep the power she was slowly gaining and to survive.

DMHGDMHG

Later that night, Hermione walked into the banquet hall at the palace and immediately spotted Anne sitting next to the king. She was glowing, and looked absolutely alluring, dressed in a crimson gown and her hair hanging loose. Katharine of Aragon was nowhere to be found, something that did not escape everyone's attention.

Hermione made eye contact with Anne, and watched as she leaned over to whisper something in the king's ear. Anne stood up with the king, who took her hand and led her down to the dance floor. The music started and Anne curtsied to the king, smiling flirtatiously at him. The other ladies present kept their shrewd eyes on the couple, their sharp tongues ready to start wagging at the slightest misstep on Anne's part.

Anne disappointed the ladies as she executed the dance perfectly. She curtsied again to the king, and excused herself, which Hermione took as her cue to follow her. Out in the hallway, Hermione followed Anne into a secluded alcove. "Lady Anne!"

"Lady Elizabeth, we don't have much time." Anne said. "I have convinced the king to denounce Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey is effectively ruined, especially after failing to secure the annulment from the Pope. I convinced the king that Wolsey had no interest in seeing me on the throne, and therefore sabotaged his own efforts in Rome in order to prevent my rise to power. I believe he is currently on his deathbed."

"But if his marriage to Katharine hasn't been properly dissolved yet, your marriage isn't actually legitimate. You realize that, right?"

"Yes, of course. The king intends to appoint Thomas Cranmer as Archbishop of Canterbury, who will then rule their marriage invalid, and ours as valid."

Hermione nodded.

"I must go. We will speak again soon. I can't miss the rest of my own ball, now can I?" Anne walked away.

Hermione leaned back against a wall and sighed. She suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to warn Anne about the fertility ritual, but resolved to find her again after the ball.

She closed her eyes, taking in the atmosphere around her. She heard the music and the chatter from those in attendance getting distinctly louder as the doors creaked open and closed again. Footsteps echoed through the hall as Hermione imagined people sneaking off for a quick rendezvous while everyone else was occupied by liquor and music.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" a deep masculine voice said, as Hermione's eyes snapped open.

He slowly advanced towards her, as if stalking his prey – which Hermione could indeed be considered to be at that moment. She recognized him from the other balls she had attended previously as George Warren, and knew that he was a lecher.

"You are a pretty little thing, aren't you?" He said, putting his hands on the wall on either side of Hermione's head, effectively trapping her. His breath reeked of alcohol.

She glared at him defiantly. "Sir, I kindly request that you keep your hands to yourself."

Warren smirked. "Oh ho! The lady makes a _request_," he sneered mockingly. "I don't think so, dearie."

As he leaned down to nuzzle her neck, she brought her hands up to try and push him away with whatever strength she had - but to no avail. Her reluctance to give in to his advances seemed to irritate him as he quickly took hold of her wrists and pinned them to the wall above her head.

Unable to think clearly or move, Hermione did the first thing that came to her mind and screamed at the top of her lungs. Warren removed one of his hands from the grip he had on her wrists and covered her mouth to shut her up. She tried to knee him in the groin, but he successfully moved the lower half of his body out of the way, still somehow managing to keep a hold of her.

"Feisty one, aren't you? No matter. We can easily fix that." The hand that was covering her mouth slowly moved down to her neck and grazed her breasts, causing Hermione to let out another scream. Warren slapped her across the face. "Wench."

Suddenly, someone pulled him around to face the other direction. "I believe the lady said NO," a new voice yelled before he punched Warren across the face. Warren fell to the floor, clutching his face. He glared defiantly up at his attacker, but his eyes widened slightly as he realized who it was, and stood up and ran in the opposite direction.

Hermione, who had been forced to the ground due to the slap, looked up, surprised at the identity of her savior.

"Malfoy?"

"What the hell were you thinking, wandering around alone at night?" he asked angrily as he pulled her up off the floor.

"I just needed some fresh air – it was getting hot in there." Hermione said defensively, wrenching her arm from his grasp.

"Why didn't you use magic to escape?!"

"I'm sorry, I was a little busy dealing with a potential rapist to start coming up with rhymes," Hermione spat.

"Why are you getting defensive with _me_?! It's not like I was the one who had you pinned against a wall."

"Actually, as I recall, you did have me pinned up against a wall a few weeks ago! And also, you're treating me as if I did something wrong, when I am actually the victim here. You could be a tad more sensitive, you know!" Hermione yelled, tears threatening to spill down her face.

Malfoy looked uncomfortable and justly contrite. "You're right," he whispered.

"But of course, Hermione Granger can do nothing right. If something doesn't go right, whom do Harry and Ron blame? Me. If I am the one who almost gets raped, who gets blamed? ME. I just can't satisfy anyone. And you know what, I'm getting sick and tired of all of you. I wish all of you would just leave me alone…"

As Hermione continued ranting, Malfoy zoned out, trying to think of a way to shut her up. So, he did the only thing he could think of at that moment – he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her towards him, firmly planting his lips on hers.

**A/N: The dates are a little off in this chapter since I have to move things along. For example, Cardinal Wolsey's downfall was brought about in 1529 and he died in 1530, and Anne is made Marquess of Pembroke in 1532. But since I have to move things along, all of the important dates and events are blending together a little bit. Please review!**


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